Rule 1: Never Stop Running
by Rose's.wings
Summary: My life has 3 main rules. Trying to obey the first one not only do I lose my sister, but I meet some very weird people, including one I used to know. But our hunters won't let us go without a fight. So that's what they'll get 'cuz I am Never going back.
1. Chapter 1: Escape

Okay, I've had this story in reserve long enough! And I think I need a little pick-me-up, so I'm getting back to my roots with a Yu Yu Hakusho fic that I've actually finished! Well, alright, so _almost _finished, but I've got it written out to chapter thirty something, so I feel safe in putting this up, even if it doesn't have an actual ending yet.

Now I hope there's still enough YYH watchers out there reading fanfics - cuz I know it's been awhile - because I'm hoping for some nice reviews! Or at least some honest ones. I really like those too...n_n Oh! Note: the first line of German you come to (and there's only two, so relax, you don't have to be multi-lingual to read/enjoy this) means, 'But my little sister'. And for future reference, 'meine Schwester' means my sister. Just FYI you know, since I think it pops up later on a couple times.

Bonus points go to whoever can tell me where my ladies' names came from! ;)

...

Rule #1: Never Stop Running

Chapter One: Escape

My life has three main rules.

1. Never stop running.

2. Don't fall asleep when you feel sick.

3. And always – I mean no matter what – stay out of the Nursery at all costs.

For the last ten years, those rules have kept me alive. And right then, I was trying very, very hard to follow the first one.

My lungs ached, my legs felt like they were burning, and the world sat at a crazy angle that could probably be explained by the syringe the crazy doctor I had just escaped from had stuck into my arm moments before. But I didn't stop. My pursuers would do much worse then kill me if I stopped.

Horrible images flashed through my panic driven mind as I raced passed new, yet familiar corridors. Everything looked the same here. Metal walls regularly interspersed with thick white doors with tiny strips of windows. And that horrible smell! It was like that sterilized smell you find in hospitals except there was more than a splash of coppery blood filling the air.

I didn't bother trying any of the doors. I knew security had locked them all when I had accidentally tripped the alarm system. There wasn't a way out to find and I knew it. There was nowhere to hide; nowhere they wouldn't be able to find me. And the hunters were right behind me, hollering after my scrawny hide.

I choked back a frightened whimper. _"They're going to kill me,"_ I thought not for the first time that hour,_ "They're going to kill me. They're going to-"_

"SH-SHUT UP AND RUN!" I screamed at myself. Don't look back, don't stop, and whatever you do, don't trip. That would be just what I needed right now. A trip that sent me sprawling across the floor. The hunters would probably trample me flat before they realized I was splayed out on the floor.

"There she is!" A hoarse, male voice yelled behind me. I resisted the urge to look and see how far away they were. That would be about as helpful as falling flat on my face. Besides, I already knew the odds were against me. Instead I pressed my aching legs faster as more adrenaline surged into my already crowded blood stream.

New noises followed me now. Horrible noises that told me the hunt was on. Booted feet thumped against the stainless steel floor. Low voices coordinating my capture. Hunters enjoying the chase as they closed in on their panicked prey.

I sobbed again. This was it. I might as well stop running and give up. Maybe then they would just shoot me instead of giving me back to the "doctors" I had just escaped from.

But there was little chance of that, I realized. Even if they were only security and therefore the lowest paid bunch in the Academy, these hunter creeps worked for the Three so even if they weren't getting paid a hefty sum to follow their orders, the smart ones would be too afraid to disobey the hags higher ups, and rightly so. I would just have to stick to good ol' rule number one. It had kept me breathing so far.

I dashed forward, flashing red alarms going off all around me as the automated doors that cut the hallways into closed sections dropped shut and locked. Most of the personnel would be evacuated now whether they liked it or not. I caught a glance of some very startled people in white lab coats banging on their office doors as they tried to figure out how to get out. Somehow I managed to laugh._ "I guess some of them just aren't that lucky."_ I thought.

At the end of the hall there was another dropping steel wall and like all the others it was closing rapidly. Despite my limited pop culture experience – being kidnapped and locked away in an underground experiment bunker filled with mutants and all – I still thought it looked like something you'd see in those science fiction movies when the space alien finally manages to break into the hero's base and then to keep the aliens from the clearly marked self destruct button that would end what was left of humanity, the heroes would go into lock down mode and all those giant slabs of metal would slide down from above, cutting the halls into sections, trapping the alien and saving the human race.

Yeah, I just slid under that, trapping the evil genius' henchmen behind me. I grinned, it would take them a little while to find another way around unless they just wanted to open all the doors again, making it easier for me to escape. I pelted onward looking for any kind of light that didn't come from the ever present fluorescent bulbs, glad the next steel door was several hundred feet away from me. It gave me more room to work with.

I just started thinking about blowing up a part of the wall so I could get the heck out of here when a sudden mental pull had me backpedaling and looking around wildly for an ambush. They couldn't have made it through the alien doors already right?

I was alone. The Hunters were still trapped behind me. So what was pulling at me?

Despite my fear and panic I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I reached out with what my sister and I half jokingly called my sixth sense. Most likely it was just the by-product of one lab test or another, but I couldn't be sure. I could barely remember my name, and only the first one at that, much less all the painful experiments the doctors had dragged me through over the years I had been here.

I listened intently to the pull with something other then my ears. It might be better to say I was trying to feel which way the pull was coming from rather then listening for it, but that's still not quite right. I've never been able to explain the sensation properly but oh well.

The pull pulsed stronger for a moment, somehow glowing in my mind's eye, before fading again. It was brief, barely a second, but it was enough. I bolted forward and to my left where yet another numbered door stood locked against me. I gathered my sixth sense into my right hand, feeling the warmth as it pulled together into a powerful destructive force. I hit the door with it, not waiting for the debris to settle before dashing through towards whatever was calling me.

The pull grew stronger the farther I went. I ran passed locked doors feeling the pull tugging at my insides like a hooked fish being reeled into shore.

Ha! Hooked fish. Get it? Cuz' I'm related to a mermaid. That's funny.

"Andrina! Over here!" My sixth sense called out rather loudly.

Oh no wait, that was Arista, calling out for real.

I wind-milled my arms, trying to keep from falling over as I stopped like I had just run into an invisible wall. My sister, Arista, was stuck inside one of the never ending featureless rooms. She was banging on the tiny, glass window as sulfurous looking gas began to curl up and around through her mouth and nose.

"Get me out of here!" She pleaded through the glass, beginning to cough. "They're gassing the room. I think they're trying to kill me this time!"

I gathered as much energy as I dared into my hand again. "Get away from the door!" I yelled at her. I waited until she dragged her slowing body out of harm's way before I smacked the door, sending metal shards into the room.

Foul smelling gas exploded out and I started hacking. The world started swinging like I was on a tilt-a-whirl going at full speed. I quickly backed away, covering my nose and mouth but I started to cough anyway.

Arista stumbled out looking like she had been stuck on that same tilt-a-whirl for hours. I pulled her arm over my shoulder to help her walk in a straight line and led the way back down the hall, my sixth sense telling me to avoid the other way.

"Andrina?" Arista's lovely, siren voice sounded wispy and sick, like she had a cold. "Andrina my feet won't work. And the world won't stop moving." She mumbled, her head lolling back and forth as we hurried around the corner and continued up the corridor I had left when my sixth sense started nagging me.

"Yeah I know nesan." I told her, trying to hurry without losing Arista. "We just need some fresh air."

Arista giggled. "Aber meine kleine Schwester, you know I'm a salt water fish."

Even though we were running, well alright _hobbling_, for our lives and drugged on some scary gas (or maybe it was just because we were drugged) I started giggling with her. Her puny joke was hysterical, and pretty soon, we were laughing and stumbling along like a couple of people who had just spent way too much time in a bar.

Eventually I calmed myself enough to remember that we were far from safety. I peeked around corners as well as I could while supporting Arista. So far the place was deserted, but I had a feeling that that wouldn't last long.

We hobbled along in relative silence for a few minutes. Arista remained loose and floppy, sometimes giggling at nothing. I was beginning to get the monster of all headaches. If this was a side effect of the gas, I did not envy Arista the hangover she would have when her head finally cleared.

"Hey look," I nearly jumped out of my skin when Arista spoke, still sounding giddy, and pointed to a set of double doors off to our right.

A _glowing_ set of double doors, I might add.

A hazy feeling, like the pull that had led me to Arista but weirder, started growing in my stomach, making me feel slightly queasy. "We should-" I started to say, but before I could finish, Arista slipped forward and wobbled towards the doors.

"Look," she said peeking through the door windows, "daylight!"

I rushed after my loopy sister, the queasiness growing worse as I got closer to the bright white light. "This will not end well." I said under my breath. But then again, what ever did for us?

I reached Arista and grabbed her hand, trying to pull her away. "But look meine Schwester," She said pointing with a shaky finger at the window. "Es ist so shöne."

I found myself shaking my head as I joined her by the door. "Now is not the time to go all German on me nesan." I told her before I went against my better judgment and looked through the window.

My jaw dropped.

"It's so beautiful." Arista translated for me.

Inside, nearly hidden by the white light it was emitting, was, and don't laugh, what looked like a rip in space. Like someone had just decided to take a giant knife and cut through whatever it was that kept us from kingdom come.

Despite my profound belief in Rule #1, I found myself gawking at the impossible thing, astounded by its strangeness and its sheer beauty. I felt a deep pull in my chest as if a strong cord had just snapped out and tied me to the light rip, or possibly something on the other side of its intense white maw. I swallowed hard against the feeling of destiny that settled deeper into my stomach the longer I looked at that impossible portal.

"Merry little mermaids!" A shrill voice suddenly crowed out. "Where did you get to, my merry little mermaids?" The harsh voice and the cackling laughter that followed it snapped me back to reality. The Harpies had caught up to us. And I had thought that the Hunters were bad.

"Where did you swim to my little mermaids?" A different voice – this one deeper but just as piercing as the first – called out from the opposite direction. I latched onto my sister and dragged her away from the door.

Through way of my oh-so-sophisticated, and sometimes extremely scary, sixth sense, I busted down one of the doors with one well placed kick. The door splintered under the power of my almost glowing foot. I ushered Arista through in front of me. I held up my arm in front of my eyes to keep myself from being blinded by the light as I followed her. The light was even fiercer without glass in the way.

"There's got to be a way out." I said looking around wildly for any kind of door or a window maybe. By now I would settle for a gopher hole if it got me out of this Hell-hole.

The cord tightened around my chest making it harder to breathe as I traveled closer to the rip to see if a door was hiding behind its brilliance. I gasped for breath as I felt myself being drawn towards the beautiful but dangerous light, despite the fact that the Harpies were right behind us, ready to grab us in their dirty little talons and drag us back to the Three for punishment. Then it would be back to the doctors, for experiments and drug tests. And not the kind of drug tests where you had to pee in a cup either.

"Here you are my pretty little mermaids." A voice like grating metal taunted from beyond the shattered door. "What are you doing outside your tank now?"

Arista shook next to me, but she kept her voice firm and strong. "I don't know Celaeno, what are you doing outside your cage?"

Celaeno, one of the three female harpies, stepped into the empty door frame. Her sister, Thuella, and the other girl, Aella, stood behind her as well as the twin males, Podarce and Podarge. I casually tried to search the few shadows that still survived the harsh light to see where the other three males might have gotten to. They might still be out in the hall, but then again they might not.

Celaeno cackled harshly to herself at Arista's brave front. "Ooo look, the mermaid has got some spirit left in her after all. Here I thought we'd ground that out of you already. Maybe it will take another demonstration before you're properly broken. What do you think Aellopus? Nicothoe? Shall we take this other pretty to meet young Ariel?" She said looking at me now.

Arista went dead white at the mention of our third and littlest sister. I, on the other hand, turned red with rage. How dare they torment Arista like this? Even the doctors hadn't been so cruel. They had only hurt her body; these rats with wings hurt her heart over and over and _over_ again.

I was so mad I wasn't even surprised when Aellopus and Nicothoe dropped down from the ceiling with loud thumps.

"Really Celaeno? You can't be more creative then taking young Andrina to the Nursery? How dull." Aellopus asked with what would have been a charming smile on anyone else's face. On Aellopus 'leering' or 'creepy' would have described him better. "I can think of better things to do with her."

"Touch me and I'll rip your pinions out Harpy." I snarled at him.

They all cackled mercilessly.

Then they stepped forward as one. "Let's get on with this." Celaeno said with a triumphant smirk. "Podarge, Podarce, block the door. Nicothoe and Aellopus, keep 'em in place. Ladies, cover me." She snapped out orders. I wasn't sure where Aello, their usual ringleader was, or why he had left Celaeno in charge, but she was just soaking in the privilege and power that came with the position.

The others however, weren't so happy about it. "Why do you get to grab her?" Aello's younger sister, Aella snapped. She was smart like her brother and, I had thought, his second in command. Still, I wasn't complaining that Celaeno, who was stupid in her cruelty, had stepped over Aella's claim. I'd take a stupid enemy over a brilliant one any day.

"Yeah," Thuella, Celaeno's own sister, cried sounding just as happy as Aella. "You bungled your chance to grab them last time. You don't get another one."

Celaeno snarled at the two girls. "Who says huh? The Three left _me_ in charge while they talk with Aello. That means I get to make the decisions around here and if I say I get to nab the fish, then _I get to nab the fish!_"

"Really Celaeno?" Thuella asked, her high voice rising to a shriek. "And if you fail like before? Do you think the Three will be as easy on you this time?"

Celaeno bridled at her words. I could see the dirty feathers on the backs of her arms rising in agitation. This could quickly turn into a throw down.

But they had made one mistake already. Celaeno had turned her back to us and the boys were all watching the girls closely. Podarge and Podarce looked like they were wondering if they should step in now to avoid any blood shed while Aellopus just watched smugly, eager for any kind of fight. It was impossible to tell what Nicothoe was thinking, but either way about it, he wasn't thinking about us.

I eased back, pulling Arista with me. Her shaking had only gotten worse. Thuella had gone too far with her talk about Ariel. By now, Arista's mind was far, far away trying to find our youngest sister.

"And she lived happily ever after." I heard her mumbling to herself. "Happily ever after. She's safe and happy. Please let her be safe and happy." She begged though I don't know who she expected to hear her. In her anguish, she didn't even notice that we were moving closer to the bright white hole.

Unfortunately, Podarce did. "Hey! They're getting away nitwits!" He yelled pointing accusingly at Arista and me.

_"Well here goes plan B."_ I thought.

I shoved Arista towards the rip. She gave a startled screech and then…she was just _gone_.

I took a literal second to feel shocked that my sister had just vanished into a patch of _light_ before Aellopus was on me.

His grin was nothing less then feral. "Leaving so soon Andrina?" He asked, showing teeth in a predator's smile.

"Yes." I answered shoving him off and punching him in the nose where I heard a satisfying CRACK!

I smirked at the idiot. I hadn't even needed my sixth sense for that.

But I didn't have time to gloat. I pulled my sixth sense down into my hands until they glowed almost as bright as the rip behind me. When Nicothoe came at me next, my punch threw him ten feet back into the wall so hard that dust came down from the ceiling.

Thuella screeched, a loud, high pitched, terrible noise that had me wanting to cover my ears and scream back at her. She only screeched louder, the sound of her voice beginning to paralyze my legs with its power.

Aella, Celaeno, Podarge, and Podarce were coming for me now. Even Nicothoe was getting to his feet. So instead of doing something smart like just turning around before Thuella's horrible noise froze my muscles motionless and high tailing it after Arista into that rip, I did something marginally stupid.

I held out my hands and released my sixth sense into the air in front of me.

The explosion was twenty times more powerful then when I had blasted open the door to free Arista. The Harpies flew back, crashing into the wall, the splintered door, and each other. I would be very surprised if any of them remained conscious after that.

Of course the explosion sent _me_ flying too, right into the rip.

It felt as weirdly beautiful as it looked, although it was as impossible to describe as my sixth sense. All I could see was this soft, golden white light and my skin tingled wherever it touched me. On some level I wondered if this was what falling though thick soda felt like, except less sticky. Or maybe this was what Alice had felt like when she fell into Wonderland. Like falling through dream stuff…

Whatever it felt like, it lasted only a brief moment before I crash landed back into reality.

I landed on my back with a painful thud. I remember a searing pain in my head and then I went out like a broken lightbulb, oblivious to the world.


	2. Chapter 2: Fish Fights & the Way of Moe

Woo, back again. Not much to say only that things start to get a little more interesting. Oh, and that the story you hear Arista tell herself is Hans Christian Anderson's original "Little Mermaid". I know it's a little weird adding that to YYH, but it suits her.

Thank you again Shiningheart of ThunderClan for your review! I'm going to make an assumption that your name comes from the Warrior books right? My sister _loves _those books. She keeps trying to get me to read them. *Rolls eyes and smiles* She's so cute.

Hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

...

Never Stop Running

Chapter Two: Fish Fights and the Way of Moe

"Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep," Arista's voice was the only sound in the oppressive dark. The familiar words helped to soothe her a little, like a child's security blanket. She didn't know where she was or how she got there or why. There wasn't even a cricket within earshot, and the utter silence was clawing at her rational mind, making her even more nervous and afraid then she had felt before when the Harpies had found her and her younger sister Andrina.

"So deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above." Her hushed voice echoed eerily, twining through the dark shapes of trees and bouncing off the hard ground back to her. But instead of being cut up by the echoes, the silence lingered. She could feel its repressive force stretching out in between her words, trying to take their place.

"There dwell the Sea King and his subjects." She spoke louder, trying to push the raking silence away. "We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No,ind-"

"Why?"

The whispery voice, like scales over dusty rocks, slithered out of the surrounding tree trunks. Arista froze like a mouse hearing the faintest brush of an owl's wings. She widened her eyes, trying to see farther into the cottony darkness. But it didn't help; she only saw the faint outlines of trees and brush.

"N-n-no, in-indeed," she started again, beginning to tremble as she inched forward, "the most singular flowers and plants grow there; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. Fishes-"

"Fishes?" The voiced hissed out excitedly. The hiss was followed by a deep, bass, rumble that Arista felt in her bones. "Fishes are good." The voice said longingly. Arista froze again, beginning to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Whoever was speaking didn't sound like he missed the fish's stimulating conversation.

Then the voice sighed sadly and said, "But there hasn't been fish here in a long time. Treeshadow ate the last one ages ago. The blue ones tasted especially good.

Arista started breathing faster. It ate fish. She was a fish. It ate fish. It ate fish. She couldn't stop the thought from circling around in her head like a vulture over road kill.

_"Maybe," _she thought trying to fight back the panic, _"maybe it doesn't know I'm a fish. Maybe it's from a different Academy and they fed it actual fish. Maybe-"_

"Are you going to continue?" The voice suddenly asked.

Arista swallowed hard. What had she said last? "Fishes," she said shakily, "both large and small, glide between the branches, as birds fly among the trees here upon land."

Arista's bones tingled again as the voice purred even louder then before. "Mm, the birds tasted just as good as the fish."

"I-in th-the deep-deepest spot of a-all, stands the castle o-of the Sea King."

"Sea King?" the voice whispered curiously.

"Ye-yes, Sea King." Arista nodded not sure what else to say.

"What kind of fish is a Sea King?"

Arista swallowed hard, afraid where this was leading, but still unable to move. "He's half fish, half human. A merperson. I don't think he would taste very good." She said, desperately hoping the voice would believe her.

"Mrrt, maybe," it purred, "but I suppose I can't decide until I taste one of these 'merperons'. Maybe they taste like a person or…"

The voice drifted off and Arista gathered the courage to look around again, but she still only saw black tree lines and thick shadows.

"Or maybe they taste like fish." The voice whispered directly into her ear.

Arista spun and caught a glimpse of an unnaturally tall man with glowing yellow eyes and gleaming claws. Then he was gone again, hidden in the shadows.

Arista listened, but the oppressive silence had returned. _"Maybe all the other creatures were smart enough to get while the getting was good,"_ she thought slightly hysterical now.

A twig snapping to her left was her only warning. She spun again her arms held up defensively in front of her. Pain flared from her right shoulder to her left hip, and she fell backwards, landing awkwardly on her backside. Even dazed she heard the man's hiss of anger as he touched something wet on his shirt. She looked down stunned to see blood on the short, hard fins that grew on the backs of her forearms. She had actually hurt him.

She tried to pay attention to what the man was spitting at her, but her chest _hurt_. Four long scratch marks lay across her chest, beginning to bleed, staining her shirt red.

A blood stained, clawed hand reached out and grabbed her by her collar, hoisting her up off the ground and into the air. "I'll make this quick fish-person." He growled.

Hands closed around her neck. Frightened, Arista kicked and struggled, not able to think of anything else. Black spots flickered before her eyes as the air staled in her lungs. She started to feel so heavy…

Arista hit the ground hard, jolting her injured body and startling her into breathing. The man was hissing again and someone else was yelling. Her instincts told her to run, run fast and far, but as she sat in the dirt, sucking in air, she stayed relatively still. She could hear the sounds of fighting now a little ways away. The man was hissing and spitting like an old car, but the sounds of the other people were drowning him out, until finally he stopped yowling altogether.

Arista knew what that sudden silence meant and she kept her eyes glued to the dark ground, afraid to look up in case whoever had killed the hissing man wasn't all that interested in keeping her alive either.

Besides, the spots were still dancing in front of her eyes and she wasn't sure she could stand up anymore.

Vaguely she listened, trying to gauge if she was safe, but all she could hear were the nonsense words of the man's attackers. Arista wasn't sure if she had just lost so much blood that she was about to start seeing purple hippopotamuses again or if they were actually speaking in a different language. She also wasn't sure which one was worse.

"Hey, ya alrigh' there?"

Arista's head snapped up at the new voice, and the world tilted and swayed unhealthily. She felt like she was falling, except she was sitting on the solid ground. That couldn't be good.

As far as she could see, which she would admit wasn't very far, two people were crouched down in front of her. The only significant things she could tell about them with the world turning upside down around her was that one had bright red hair, the other had luminous violet eyes, and they were both looking at her worriedly.

Arista opened her mouth to say she was fine. That it was only a scratch or four, when the darkness in the forest rushed forward and surrounded her in a thick, soft, blanket.

...

It was daylight when I woke up. Late morning I think. My head hurt as if a herd of rampaging buffalo had decided to run over it and my back felt achy and sore, but other then that I still had all my limbs and digits.

I sat up with a groan, my back reminding me I had most definitely landed on solid ground after going through that light. After I managed to sit up I looked around me and took in my surroundings.

Tall trees, bigger then I had ever seen before, grew all around me, filtering the sunlight until just a few clumps of slanted rays slid in between the tree tops, like the one that currently burned my face. Birds sang above me and cicadas buzzed amongst the bark, but I didn't see any people. Or Harpies for that matter, which is always a good thing when you wake up in strange wooded areas you've never seen before.

I stood up carefully, feeling old and stiff as I got my feet under me. I looked around, but there wasn't anything around to make me think that there was anything but forest in all directions.

"Eeny, meeny, miney, moe," I said to myself and then started walking in the opposite direction of moe. Meeny felt much better you see. The path behind me felt mundane and boring like nothing and nobody lived in that direction for miles. The way of moe held promise of living things that didn't want to eat me.

I began scraping my way through pointy bushes and springy saplings. After adding more bruises and scratches to my already hefty collection, I stumbled out of the towering trees onto a sandy bottomed park. A couple of kids too young for school were toddling around the brightly painted equipment while their parents either watched them from park benches or chased them around the monkey bars.

They didn't notice me standing there frozen in the shadow of the tree line, though I watched them carefully. I felt kinda strange watching those little kids run around just because they wanted too. I think the last time I had even seen a child – I mean a _normal_ child – was, oh gosh, more then three years ago when the Hunters had brought in a new batch of kids. They hadn't stayed normal for long.

I shook myself out of the gruesome memories that always went with new patients and turned to walk along the border of the park, not wanting to leave the sheltered safety of the shadows quiet yet. I curved halfway down to meet the concrete path that wound its way in between the sanded sections of play equipment. The morning sun was bright and hot on my head as I followed the pavement, heading toward whatever it was my sixth sense was leading me to.

A few people walking past me stopped to stare, although most tried to at least try and pretend that they were looking at a tree branch above my head or something. I must have looked a mess I realized. My short hair hung ragged and unkempt above my shoulders. I was covered with scratches and bruises both from the Harpies and running through the trees earlier. All I had on was a thin sack dress that I had belted at my too thin waist with a long length of string, and then a pair of underwear underneath. I wasn't even wearing shoes. Usually I wouldn't have cared so much about the shoes and just been thankful for the underwear, but the gray pavement was hot with midsummer's heat and the soles of my feet were starting to burn no matter how fast I picked them up again.

"Hey." An unfamiliar voice startled me into rocking back on my burning feet, which I had been looking down at as I walked faster through the park. I looked up in surprise.

A teenage boy stood in front of me, only a few years younger then me I guessed. He had short, light brown hair and a round, happy face. He smiled at me pleasantly before asking, "Are you alright?"

"_Tough question_," I thought, "_am I?"_ I had no idea really, but I smiled nicely at him anyway. "Yeah, thanks, I'm just a little lost is all. I don't suppose you could tell me where I am?"

The boy looked a little worried. "You're in the park." He told me.

I repressed a sigh. _"Thanks genius I hadn't figured that out yet."_ I wanted desperately to say it out loud, but figured it wouldn't go over so well. "No, I mean I got lost in those trees back there a while ago so maybe you could tell me where this park is?"

His smile reappeared. "Oh, this isHigurashiPark."

"Okay," I said, still lost. "Where's that?"

His smile faltered just a little. "It's right behind the new Koyama building." He said pointing at a shiny new building off to our right.

"And where's that?" I asked wondering how long it would be before he began to wonder just how lost I was.

"Just outside downtown?" He said his smile almost gone now.

_"Down in which town?" _I wondered but didn't ask aloud. I just tilted my head to the side and tried to look innocent. Hey, it works for dogs. Or at least it does for the scaly dog creatures at the Academy...

"You're inTokyo." He told me flatly.

OhTokyo. Right. I think I've heard of there before. I think...

But of course I didn't say that. Instead I smiled sweetly at the boy and thanked him. Then I stepped around him and kept walking down the path. At least I knew where I was now. Sorta.

"Hey!"

The boy caught up with me, and then easily fell into step beside me. "Are you in some kind of trouble?" He asked looking truly worried about me. "Can I help you?"

Aw, how sweet. He wanted to help me.

"No thanks." I told him before smartly speeding up. I couldn't risk dragging some random teenager into my trouble. It would get him killed, or worse, noticed by the hag-sisters who ran the Academy.

He sped up again, almost trotting now to keep up with me. "Are you sure? Do you need someplace to stay for awhile, or maybe something to eat?"

I froze in mid step. Food? Did he just offer me food?

I turned causally toward the boy. "Well, if you really don't mind, I am really hungry."

He smiled at me again. "Nah, it's fine, really. I'm sure Mom won't mind when she sees you."

I wasn't sure if I should feel insulted at that or not. Then he started off across the park. "It's this way." He told me happily.

I didn't move, still wondering if this was a good idea or not. I knew he wasn't a Harpy. He was just too _happy_ to be a Harpy. And clean. Harpies are never clean. They take great pride in their dirt. But did he work for them? Did the Three pull his strings or was he honestly just a nice kid who wanted to help me?

Logic warred with the hollow feeling in my stomach.

My stomach won.

"Thanks," I told him as I followed him carefully off the path. "You can call me Andrina by the way."

"Cool name," he said, "I'm Shuiichi."

I smiled tensely at him, vaguely thinking I knew that name from somewhere. But that thought was quickly pushed aside by my usual suspicion. I knew there was still the chance that he was working for the Three, but hey, the way _I_ lived, you _never_ turn down the chance for free food. Ever.


	3. Chapter 3: Very Strange People & Food

Right, here I am again, with a nice long chapter...although looking it over Andrina's part is really short, but gripping! :0 Get ready to hear suspenseful music from nowhere in your head. And I hope you like the chapter!

Thanks once again go to Shiningheart of ThunderClan and now to demon of my heart and mind for their lovely reviews. I was so happy to see some people are actually reading this. n_n Thank you!

...

Never Stop Running

Chapter Three: Very Strange People and Food

Arista was no longer sure if she was awake or not. She was sure that she had been unconscious for at least a little while before the colors set in. The streaks of blues and green and the ribbons of purple danced above her head, reminding her of sunlight shining down through the ocean's surface. She thought this must be what it felt like to be floating deep underwater.

It was lovely she thought. Thankful, Arista relaxed into the water's warm embrace. The colors grew brighter and she smiled, a small peace soothing the pains in her chest and the itch of her numerous scars.

Then in a dizzying swirl, the colors changed course like some deep, underwater current, taking Arista down along with them. They pulled her far down, past schools of glittering fish and the sweeping arms of seaweed. The colors dimmed as they carried her into the depths, but they did not lose any of their intensity. The solid blue of the water that the colors danced through turned deeper until it was a thick, almost indigo color.

Then another light blinked on, bright white and just as beautiful as the vibrant colors surrounding her. Arista watched, intrigued, as a large, spiraling structure of sea shells materialized out of the light.

She gasped, somehow able to breathe this deep under water without her gills, just like she was swimming without her tail, as she recognized the Palace of the Sea King. It towered over her, exactly the way she had imagined it ever since she was a small child, right down to the last swaying conch shell.

An ethereal giggle suddenly floated through the water. The swirling colors slowed to an almost stop.

Arista didn't notice. She simply stared in shock as the young, giggling mermaid peeked out from behind the clump of seaweed she had hidden behind. Arista drank in the sight of her – the auburn hair, the pale glowing skin, the vibrant green eyes– not because of the ruby red fish tail that extended behind her in a graceful wave but because Arista had thought she would never see the little mermaid again. Arista was sure that if she could have, she would be crying at the sight of the little girl in front of her.

Arista reached for her youngest sister. "Ariel!"

Ariel giggled in her familiar way and Arista's voice cracked when she laughed. Her little sister looped and twirled around her playfully, sending the colors that still surrounded Arista into a tizzy, giggling happily all the while. Then with a flip of her translucent crimson flipper, Ariel freed herself from ribbons of purples and streaks of blues and darted away into the ocean depths toward the palace.

"Wait, Ariel!" Arista cried feeling the rift in her heart beginning to crack open again. "_Ariel_!" She screamed into the water, trying to swim after her, but the colors dragged her backward. They towed her upward, dimming as they went, until once again Arista was surrounded by darkness.

"Oi lookit here, I think she's comin' round."

Even through her renewed heartache and the blanketing dark surrounded her, Arista made out the muffled voice of someone speaking.

"I see that Jin." A different voice from the first replied. "Let's give her another minute to wake up."

A somewhat fidgety silence descended, although Arista wasn't sure if the restlessness came from the person twitching next to her or because she suddenly wanted out of the confines of the black blanket that enveloped her. The colors that had surrounded her in her dream had dissipated completely, leaving only a chafing blackness behind that wrapped around her like a cocoon. She tried to squirm free before the haunting images of her previous life began to play out in front of her like they always did in the dark. But for all her struggling, Arista couldn't find an edge to pry at and eventually she fell still again.

"I can' help but wonder what a young lass like her was doin' out in the middle of the Nemera's territory. He's been scarin' off travelers long enough that they had to get us involved. Seems to me that she shoulda known not to go wanderin' around near there."

The blackness began to thin around her and Arista found herself wondering what the man was talking about. What was a Nemera?

"It _does _appear that way," the other voice said, a woman's Arista finally realized, "but I have a feeling that this girl is more then what she appears to be."

The darkness had thinned enough that Arista could hear the odd tenor to the woman's words that made her want to shiver.

If she did twitch though, neither of her two watchers noticed. "Ya think she might have some special wind about her then? Is that what your fancy eyes are tellin' ya?" The man's accent grew thicker in excitement and Arista could almost hear him bounce in anticipation.

"I'm- not sure yet." The woman admitted cautiously. They both fell silent again.

Throughout their exchange, Arista had noticed their voices becoming clearer as the dark cocoon thinned and unraveled, as if it had been the darkness muffling them. Now all that was left of the cocoon were blackish patches and dark gray wisps of smoke. Experimentally, Arista opened her eyes.

The world was extremely blurry at first, just a broad smudge of brown with two tall shadows hovering nearby. One shadow had bright red hair.

Arista blinked away the blurriness and cautiously inspected the people sitting to the right of the bedding she was tucked into. There were two of them. After a moment Arista dimly recognized them as the ones she had seen before blacking out in the forest.

They looked almost completely opposite. The woman looked to be small, although it was hard to tell from Arista's place on the floor. Shoulder length, dark hair barely brushed her strong, slender shoulders. Her violet eyes almost glowed in the partially lit room and she carried a sense of calm around her like one would wear a cloak.

The man on the other hand, was at least a head taller then the woman, with bright red hair that stuck up in all directions and blue eyes that were currently staring off in the opposite direction. His knee bounced up and down quickly in a restless fidget and he had both hands laced behind his head.

The woman finally noticed Arista was awake. She smiled at her politely. "Good morning, it's nice to see you finally open your eyes. How are you feeling?" She asked in a soft voice.

Arista had to blink again to keep the woman in focus. "Confused." She told her honestly. "Who are you? Where's Andrina?"

The woman's dark violet brows came together in a somewhat worried look. "Someone else was with you? Did the Nemera catch her?"

"Nemera?" Arista asked wondering what the lady was talking about.

"He was the guy with whiskers, he was." The man with red hair spoke up, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together near his mouth like he was pulling at a long, cat-like, whisker.

_"Oh_,_"_ Arista thought remembering the tall man with yellow eyes. _"So he was a cat man."_ She shivered, remembering his comments about loving the taste of fish.

"No, Andrina wasn't there when I la-woke up." She stammered a little, thinking it was probably best not to say that she had landed in the Nemera's forest after she fell through a light rip. She didn't want these two thinking she was any crazier then a life long imprisonment had already left her.

The two sitting next to her didn't look like they noticed her quick cover up, but she couldn't be sure. "If she wasn't with me then we must have gotten separated earlier." Maybe the light had spit her out somewhere else.

"Hey, what were you doin' out in the cat man's forest anyway?" The man asked in an accent she had never heard before.

"I don't know." She told him honestly. She had no idea why the light had dropped her there. "I remember being at home but when I woke up, I was in the forest." Well it was close to the truth if you forgot the light rip. The labs were the only home she could remember. If you didn't mind calling that twisted, horrible place home that is.

The two looked at each other, curiosity and something else Arista couldn't decipher appearing in their eyes.

"Uh, 'scuse me but, who are you again?" She finally managed to ask, drawing their attention again. "And do you mind me asking where I am now?"

They both broke into easy, disarming smiles. "I'm sorry," The woman spoke again. "I suppose I did skip that question the first time didn't I? My name is Satomi and this is Jin." Jin smiled even wider and waved at her. "And this is our school. We brought you here after you were hurt by the Nemera. How are you feeling by the way Miss...?" She let the word hang in the air, asking for a name without actually asking.

"Oh, I'm Arista." She answered without a second thought as to whether she should give her real name or not. She didn't even wonder if they might work for the Three. They wouldn't have helped her if they did right? "And I feel okay, I think." Better then before anyway. The drugs the doctors had gassed her with must have worn off while she was sleeping. "My chest hurts a little though."

"Just a little?" Satomi raised one thin eyebrow at her. Arista nodded, not sure why she looked so skeptical.

Lifting the heavy blanket that covered her carefully so only she could see, Satomi looked over the four long, red scratches that ran from Arista's right shoulder to left hip. Arista lifted her head high enough to see the angry red color they had turned, looking more like week old wounds rather then ones barely a day old. The rate at which they healed didn't surprise Arista, although she did wish that they didn't make it so obvious to the woman inspecting them that Arista wasn't really human; that the Three's doctors had fiddled with her genes to turn her into a fish-girl.

Unlike Arista, Satomi looked surprised at the rapidly healing gashes. "Amazing," she said with muted interest as she put the blanket down again, "I never realized that humans could heal so fast given the chance.

"Given the chance?" Arista asked feeling somewhat nervous.

"I can only guess that when your DNA changed, the rate at which your body heals also greatly improved."

"D-DNA?" Arista stuttered.

"Yes, I'm sure you noticed you weren't exactly average for a human." Satomi said, slanting a look at Arista with her intelligent violet eyes.

"Well-" Arista started, only now beginning to wonder if they were from the Academy or not. They didn't seem to know that the doctors had changed her on purpose. Satomi apparently thought her genes had changed by mistake, like some science fiction movie where the lizard man was some kind of genetic throw back to earlier, unused,DNA.

"Ah now you're scarin' the lass Satomi." Jin said with a laugh. "We saw yer fins, is all. Satomi cleaned 'em up along with the rest of ya. Sharp things they were too. Nearly cut myself just lookin' at 'em." Then he laughed loudly at his own joke.

Satomi rolled her eyes at him and Arista would've laughed at the pair of them if she hadn't been so afraid that they might crack her open to find out what made her tick like the doctors did at the Academy.

"Now you're scaring her Jin." The violet eyed woman said. "Why don't you go tell Touya she's awake while I check her wounds?" Satomi suggested.

Jin stopped laughing and gave her a blank look. "But didn' you just peek at 'em?"

Satomi gave him a hard look. With a sigh, Jin stared at the ceiling and-

Arista eyes widened. His feet left the ground. Heck, his whole body left the ground, as if a huge gust of wind had lifted him up. Not seeing Arista's shocked expression, Jin put his feet back down on the ground and walked out the room, muttering something about knowing when he wasn't wanted.

After the sliding door closed behind him with a sharp, wooden clack, Satomi nodded once. "I thought you wouldn't want him in here while I do this." Satomi told her with a gentle smile, holding up clean bandages in her left hand.

Despite her shock at the sight of floating men, Arista felt her face burn. No, she most definitely did not want an audience as Satomi began to re-bandage the four rapidly healing scratches.

Arista sat nervously as Satomi worked. She didn't like sitting still with a stranger sitting just out of sight. It was too much like the Academy. The only thing that kept Arista from jumping away from the other woman like a frightened rabbit was the obvious lack of needles.

But even with that cold comfort Arista jumped when Satomi spoke. "Are you a fighter Arista? Is that where you got all these scars?" She asked innocently enough.

"What?" Arista spoke without thinking as she tried to slow her racing heart. She had forgotten them for a moment, her scars. Self consciously, she wrapped her arms around her middle, covering the longest one that ran from her collar bone all the way down to hips. It was a hideous one and she hated it even more than the others. "Oh no, not really. I mean I know a little to stay safe but otherwise I'm useless in a fight. Andrina's the one that's always getting into trouble." She said with a breathless laugh. Thinking of Andrina made her feel a little better, although she worried too. Where could her sister have gone? More importantly how in the world was she going to find her?

Satomi made a small noise. "I see." She muttered thoughtfully to herself more than Arista. "Well, there you are. Good as new, or almost anyway. You should sleep some more, regain your strength. I'll be back in a little while with something for you to eat." Satomi said standing up and heading toward the door.

Arista nodded. "Thank you." She said softly as she pulled her shirt back on over her new wrappings.

Satomi smiled at her easily. "Think nothing of it." She said then she left, quietly closing the door behind her.

Arista lay back down on the mattress, thoughts spinning around her head in confusing patterns.

She wasn't in the Academy anymore, that much was obvious. But then where was she? And where was her sister? She had to find her before anything else, although a heavy feeling in Arista's stomach told her that it wouldn't be as easy as she hoped.

But more pressing was the question of her hosts. Arista thought hard, trying to think of what they might be. They weren't human, that was easy enough to see. While Arista had been out of the normalcy loop for too long she felt quite safe in assuming that normal people didn't have horns or purple eyes, and she was even more certain that they couldn't fly.

_"So what are they then?"_ Arista asked herself as she rolled over with her hands pressed under her cheek. She was still thinking as she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep, but she couldn't find an answer before she fell to dreaming once again.

...

I'm sure that I must have looked like a half starved cave girl to the people standing in front of me as I shoveled hot food into my mouth. But what can I say? This was the first time I had had normal food since...since...since I couldn't remember when. At the Academy, if they didn't feed us pig slop then we got tasty IVs. Yum.

I finally managed to swallow. "This is absolutely delicious Mrs. Hatanaka. Thank you so much."

Mrs. Hatanaka – a nice, motherly woman somewhere in her forties I think – smiled at me. "Oh, it's no problem Andrina. Did you want anymore?"

I was trying to decide if it would be rude to take any more food since I had already had seconds or if I should listen to my stomach again and maybe just have one more glass of juice when I heard their front door open.

I tensed, but tried not to show it to Shuiichi and his mother. This could be them, the Harpies, ready to come take me away to their vile little nest.

Then a voice called out, "Mother, I'm here." I relaxed the tiniest bit. A Harpy wouldn't announce to the world he was here. Or call Mrs. Hatanaka mother.

I picked up my glass again and took a big swallow of apple juice as another boy closer to my age came into the room.

Then I almost choked on my juice as I recognized him. I didn't know who he was or where I had seen him before, but I still knew him. He stood a little taller then me, but only by a few inches, and bright red hair fell past his shoulders. Intense green eyes looked at me and he froze. He looked just as shocked as I did and I found myself wondering if he knew me like I knew him. But then his mouth moved, soundlessly speaking a word he couldn't know because _I_ barely knew it.

"Maya."


	4. Chapter 4: Barely Remembered Names

n_n; Eh hehehe, I meant to post this Monday, but we see how well that worked out. Uh, anyway, here's chapter four. Hope you like it! And thanks to Shining Heart of Thunderclan for another review! Wee! Thank you!

...

Never Stop Running

Chapter Four: Barely Remembered Names and Whatnot

I have no idea whatsoever how he knew my name.

Because you see, I myself barely remembered my real name.

When I first woke up in the horror that I now know as the Academy, I found myself in a large room lying on a damp platform with the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen sitting about five feet away. The water was green with algae. From where I sat on the only dry land in the room I could just barely make out dark figures gliding through the murky water. About twelve other girls besides myself sat on the platform. They ranged from kindergarteners to older teenagers a good seven years older than me. Most looked as confused as I felt.

As I stared sleepily around the room, a little girl's head popped over the side of the platform. Immediately her big greenish-blue eyes found my own and she smiled at me. I remember her long, reddish-brown hair was plastered to her small head with a few strands sticking to her pale, heart-shaped face. After a bit of what I thought was excited wriggling, she lifted herself out of the water on skinny, paper white arms. I noticed bits of dark green water muck stuck to the thin, shapeless, canvas dress she wore, like grass stains kids get when they play in the park.

After grabbing the pink sneakers that sat near the edge of the platform and shoving her wet feet into them she skipped over to me and sat down with a wet plop. "Hi my name's Ariel. Are you new here?" She asked me in a cute little sing-song voice.

I nodded hesitantly.

Ariel smiled sweetly at me. "That's okay, this is the first time they've put me in here too. I'm not from the outside world though; they just took me from one of the Littles Rooms. That's where they keep the real little kids. They don't have a pool there though. My sister and I've lived here since I can remember. I'm six by the way. How old are you?"

I told her I was eleven.

"Wow you're a lot older then me, but Arista's still older. She's fifteen, we think. No one's really sure though. None of the doctors here will tell us. That's where she is right now, with the doctors. They're looking at her insides. They've never called me before, just kept me with the Littles so I don't know what they're doing with all of us in here. So where are you from-uh, um...oops! I forgot to ask you your name. So what is it?"

I opened my mouth, but my name didn't come out. I thought hard trying to remember who I was, but my name just wouldn't come.

Ariel must have seen my panic start to grow. "That's okay," she said. "Some people don't remember their names right away after the doctors bring them in from the outside world. I'm sure it'll come back soon. Do you mind if I call you Andrina until it does? I've always liked that name. Plus, she's a mermaid too, like me and Arista, and in the movies Arista, Andrina, and Ariel are all sisters. Well, they have more sisters too, but they're the three youngest no matter which order they sing their song in. And you're older then me but younger then Arista so it fits!"

Ariel kept on talking as if it was absolutely normal to be locked in a large aquatic room with a dozen or so other kidnapped girls and other, stranger, creatures swimming in the largest community pool I had ever seen. I listened to her, trying to figure out what exactly she was talking about. I vaguely knew what she meant about the mermaid sisters, but her talk about the outside world and Littles and Harpies had me lost.

Eventually I gathered up the wits to ask her where I was.

"Oh, you're at the Academy. That's all it's called, the Academy. It's not a school so I don't know why they call it that, but a bunch of doctors are here and they watch us. At least that's what they do it with the Littles, those are the really small kids like me, but Arista's told me it's different for the older ones, though she won't tell me how. Maybe we're about to find out!"

She sounded so excited about being included with the older set, but a bad feeling buzzed in the back of my mind. I know now that it was the beginnings of my sixth sense trying to warn me about what was going to happen.

"So what can you do?" Ariel had continued to talk while I examined the buzzing sensation in my brain, but now she stopped and waited for an answer.

I asked her what she meant.

She rolled her bright green eyes like it was a stupid question. "Oh you know, what can you do? It's why you're here. Everyone here can do something special that makes them different. I can swim really good 'cuz I got these see?"

She kicked off her bright, pink sneakers and shucked her soaked, beaded socks and showed me a pair of delicate, see-through, crimson growths that looked like-

"Fins." I mumbled reaching forward to touch the one that flowed out of her left ankle.

"Yeah, they're my fins and when I stick my legs together like this," She sat down on the floor and put her legs out straight in front of her. I looked closer and saw that fine hooks grew on the inside of her legs, almost like Velcro, so when she put her legs together, they stuck to each other.

"Then I get a flipper!"

My mind reeled. When Ariel had said she was a mermaid, she had literally meant she was a mermaid, fish tail and all.

"Arista can do it too, though her fins grow all the way up to her legs 'cuz she's older. They're so long that they can wrap all the way around her legs so she has a _real_ flipper, not just her legs stuck together like me. And she can sing too. I'm still too little to sing like her, but I'm getting better. I can sing my ABC's now without forgetting a single one."

She puffed her chest out a little, proud of herself. I smiled at her and told her I couldn't sing either.

"Well if you can't sing then what do you do?" She asked me in all seriousness.

I told her I didn't know.

Her round face fell a little, but she quickly perked back up. "That's okay, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

Before she could say anything else, the only door opened and another girl - as pale and skinny as Ariel, but her hair was more of a darker brown - was shoved into the room by a man in a white doctor's coat. I couldn't help but notice the bright blood red stains flecking his coat.

"Arista!" Ariel screamed with joy at seeing her sister. She ran up to the other girl, forgetting her shoes and ignoring the frowning man.

Ariel threw herself into her sister's arms not noticing how weak and tired the older girl looked. Her legs, which I noticed did have a colored film attached to them like Ariel's did (although hers were a violet-blue color instead of a vivid red), collapsed out from under her. Arista sat down with her back against the wall as she hugged her little sister.

I stood up and self-consciously picked my way over to them.

"Here're your shoes Ariel." I told her holding out the hot pink sneakers with her wet socks stuffed inside.

"Oh thanks Andrina. This is my sister Arista. Arista this is Andrina, she's new here, from the outside world even. She doesn't know why she's special but she can't sing either." Ariel continued to talk in her childish, spontaneous way and after a while I sat down beside the two sisters.

The rest of the time until lights out continued much the same. Ariel talked and Arista and I listened, silent for the most part. Doctors in calf length white coats occasionally came in, sometimes taking a scared looking girl with them or dropping off an exhausted one. I waited for them to take me, but they never did.

There was no warning before the lights went out. They just disappeared with a resounding clunk that echoed in the large room like hall lights in an empty school. Ariel's constant chatter dropped off as immediately as the lights.

A few minutes later a frightening looking, stocky woman opened the door and glared at us. I noticed she had a fierce looking pole in her hand that I quickly recognized as a cattle prod.

After glaring at us like an irate bear, she backed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. Several girls jumped but didn't make a sound.

"That's the Matron." A barely audible whisper spoke beside me.

I looked over to see Arista, who hadn't said a single word to me since her sister had introduced us, staring at me with tired, blue eyes. I was sure I was the only one who had heard her. Ariel, with her thumb in her mouth, had her eyes half closed as she started to fall asleep.

"I take it she thinks children should be seen and not heard." I said just as quietly.

Arista smiled at me grimly. "You could say something like that. What's your name?"

I smiled at her. "Apparently it's Andrina."

She gave one breathy laugh. "I'm sorry about that. Ariel is obsessed with her mermaids. I meant your real name."

I felt my eyebrows come together in frustration and thought. "I can't remember. I think it had a 'y' in it, but that's all I can remember about it."

"Maybe it's for the best." Arista said.

I looked over at her to see her face was drawn with anger as she stared at the floor next to her feet. "Why?" I asked.

She looked at me again, her eyes colorless in the dark. "The things the doctors look for, the gifts each of us have, usually run in families. If you ever remember your name, don't you dare speak it out loud. They hear almost everything in this place. If they think you have something worthwhile about you, they won't hesitate to find out who else in your family has it too."

I swallowed hard. Arista's fierce words sent shivers down my spine and enhanced the buzzing in my head to a dull, feverish drone.

I nodded sharply.

Her face melted into the soft, sisterly look that she wears most of the time now and I felt my heart slow its rapid pacing.

"I'm scaring you. I'm sorry for that, but it _is_ important. Now you should try and get some sleep, they'll most likely take you tomorrow. You shouldn't worry too much over that. It'll probably be the easiest day you'll ever have here. Goodnight Andrina." Then she closed her eyes and fell into a troubled sleep.

Looking back I realize she was right about that first day.

Eventually I fell asleep as soundly as the rest of them. Unsettling dreams that I didn't remember the next morning filled most of my sleep. However there was one that gave me a deep, mellow, peaceful feeling right down to my core. I don't remember all of it. But I _do _remember a woman with a kind face and smiling eyes sitting next to me on a bed my size. She smoothed down my dark hair that was almost the same color as hers and smiled softly at me.

"Goodnight Maya," she said, "sweet dreams."

And then she was gone, fading like all my other dreams.

I took Arista's advice, not even telling her my real name.

But if my dearest friend doesn't know my name then how in the world does this familiar stranger know it?

Back in the kitchen, a sort of standoff had formed. I sat there at the table staring at the young man who had just walked in. He stood there staring at me like he had thought he would never see me again, and maybe he had. Mrs. Hatanaka and Shuiichi stood there staring at us.

"Maya?" He asked loud enough this time for the other two to hear him.

"Oh, no Shuichi, this is Andrina." Mrs. Hatanaka said. I turned confused. Why was she talking to Shuiichi? He already knew who I was. "Although I can see why you're confused, she does look like Maya. I was shocked when I first saw her. But Maya moved to Kyoto remember?"

The red haired boy finally managed to look up at his mother, a too innocent expression on his face if you ask me. "Yes, I remember Mother. I was just surprised is all. I thought maybe Maya had moved back for a moment." Then he shook his head and smiled like an experienced actor. "It's nice to meet you Andrina. My name is Shuichi."

I wanted to ask him how the heck he knew my name. I wanted to demand to know what the heck he was talking about moving back. But instead all that popped out of my mouth was, "I thought his name was Shuiichi?" I pointed at the first Shuiichi I had met, the one that had lured me to his house with food.

All three of them laughed, although they tried to be polite about it. I felt me skin began to burn with a blush.

"We're both Shuichi, but my name's got an extra 'I' in it." The first Shuiichi told me.

If possible I felt even more confused then before. Why on Earth would you name your kids the same thing? _Why_?

"We're step brothers." The red haired Shuichi told me as he set a plastic grocery bag on the table.

"Oh." I said. That made a bit more sense. Amazingly coincidental if you ask me but still. It made more sense then naming your kids the same thing.

I stood, pushing my chair in after I got up. "Well I should probably be going now. Thank you so much for the food Mrs. Hatanaka."

Mrs. Hatanaka suddenly looked very worried. "Are you sure you need to leave Andrina? Is there anything else I can do?" She asked seriously.

I was surprised by her generosity. She was so kind to want to help me. But that meant I needed to leave even more. If the Harpies ever found out they had helped me, they would be on them like vultures on road kill. If I wanted them to stay safe, I had to leave now. Nice people didn't last long at the Academy.

So I smiled, not needing to fake it for once. "No thanks Mrs. Hatanaka. You've really done more then enough for me, but I really need to leave now."

"Oh, okay sweetheart, if you're sure. Be safe." She told me, worry plastered all over her face.

I smiled and thanked her one last time before I said good bye to the three of them and headed out the door.

Outside warm sunshine poured down on my dark hair. A cool breeze shuffled through the yards and trees, bringing with it the sweet smell of coming autumn.

"Maya?"

I took a deep breath, savoring the natural smells of the earth. The Academy mainly smelled of antiseptic and rubbing alcohol, though on the good days it leaned more towards wet dog. It smelled completely opposite of my current surroundings.

"Maya?"

Listening to my sixth sense I turned right and started walking down the street.

"Hello?"

The gray concrete beneath my bare feet didn't burn nearly as bad as the asphalt this morning, even though it was the middle of the afternoon now.

"Andrina?"

I turned around, my hands balling into fists. Now what?

But it was only Shuichi, the one with red hair that I recognized but didn't know.

"Where'd you come from?" I demanded bitingly.

He studied me with a curious expression. "I've been right behind you for some time. I called your name twice." He told me.

I eyed him suspiciously. He shouldn't know my real name.

"My name's Andrina." I told him.

He raised an eyebrow at me but only said, "Mother wanted you to have these." He hefted a pile of old looking clothes. They were worn around the edges and slightly discolored from wash after wash after wash, but they were twenty times better then the sack dresses I was usually forced to wear.

My smile was so wide my cheeks hurt. "Aw, thanks. This is so nice of her." I said taking the clothes. I pulled off the top shirt and held in to the side so I could admire it.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight?" Shuichi asked me still giving me that curious look, like he didn't know quite what to make of me.

I shrugged. "I'll find someplace, don't worry about it." I told him. I couldn't stay with them, no matter how much I liked the idea of a real bed. They'd only get hurt.

"I'm sure you would, but just in case things don't go as you plan, I have a friend who lives in a temple on the edge of town. I'm sure she won't mind putting up with you for a night or two if you tell her I sent you."

"And who exactly should I say sent me?" My sixth sense shoved the words out of my mouth before I could think better of it.

Suspicion and a downright inhuman intelligence flashed through his green eyes so fast I wasn't quite sure of what I had seen. But besides that he kept his face in a state of mask-like calm.

"Shuichi sent you of course." He answered stiffly.

I nodded slowly. "Of course." I mumbled and then not knowing what else to say, began to walk away.

"Don't you want to know how to get to the temple?" Shuichi asked my retreating back.

_"Not really," _I thought. I would get his friend in as much trouble if I stayed with her as if I had stayed with his family. But he was so darned persistent that I turned around and listened to his directions. They were really simple actually and I doubted that I would forget them. But it didn't really matter, I realized as I walked away from the strange, red-headed boy. I wouldn't ever go to his friend's temple anyway. So there.


	5. Chapter 5: Questions & Unwelcome Friends

Yay! Spring break is here! And I'm about to be gone (road trip/vacation! Yahoo!) so I figured I better get this up if I wanted to get it up at all. It's nice and long so hopefully that appeals to you. n_n You get some answers in this chapter, and probably a few more questions, but I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks of course to Shingingheart of ThunderClan. Keep up the review streak please! You're awesome! As always I loved you observations/guesses. ^..^ Meow!

Oh, and just because I forgot to do it at the beginning: I own nothing. If you recognize someone, they are not mine, but if you don't, they do. Oh! And have a wonderful break everybody! n_n

...

Never Stop Running

Chapter Five: Questions and Unwelcome Friends

Curled up in her corner, Arista stared blankly at the book in front of her. Three days had passed since she had first woken up and talked with Satomi and Jin. No one else had come in and for the most part she had been left alone. Satomi had come to check on her every few hours at first, mainly to check on her wounds. Jin had visited her a few times too, sitting and talking to her for a brief period before going to do something else.

But, thanks to her advanced healing, the Nemera's claw marks had already gone, leaving only four pale scars to join her collection. Satomi didn't come as often now and Jin had apparently found something else to do. She hadn't seen either one since late yesterday morning.

_ "They must not know what to do with me,"_ she thought to herself.

More then anything Arista was bored. There was nothing to do in the small wooden room they had left her in. There wasn't even a window to stare out of. She couldn't even read Satomi's book since it was written in a language she had never seen before. All she did was stare at the pictures, which were few and far between. If she had to guess at what the book was about she would have to say that a dragon – which might also have been a dog with a huge overbite – was trying to steal radishes with faces on them from some crotchety looking man...eh, woman...no, person...thing! It was trying to steal them from some crotchety looking thing. Her synopsis ended there. She didn't know why the dragon-dog was trying to steal the radishes.

Soft footsteps appeared outside her door, but instead of passing by like the ones she usually heard, they stopped. The wooden door slid open with a clatter and a man Arista hadn't met before stepped in.

He was young looking with blue hair, although his bangs were green. His eyes were blue also, but as he sat down cross legged in front of her Arista realized they were solidly blue. He didn't have irises or pupils.

Arista slowly closed the book she couldn't read and waited patiently for this new man to speak.

"Good morning Arista." He said in a quiet voice after they had sat there for a moment staring at each other. "My name is Touya. I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk with you sooner, but Satomi refused to let me in until she decided you were well enough. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" He asked very politely.

Despite his good manners, Arista knew that it wasn't really a question, so she nodded her head and set Satomi's book down on the floor next to her.

Touya watched her for a moment longer with sharp eyes. Arista resisted the urge to fidget.

"Arista, what are you?"

Arista cocked her head to the side, not quite sure how to answer the question. "What do you mean?" She asked him, beginning to feel a slight chill down her spine.

Touya continued to stare at her. "You are obviously not human, although you look like one for the most part, but you are not a demon either. At first Satomi believed you had changed naturally, but after taking care of you she tells me there are scars inside of your body as well as outside. Now she thinks that you were changed on purpose. So what are you? Who created you?"

Arista didn't know whether to feel more confused or afraid. Obviously they knew that she wasn't just another human, but neither were they. She only had to look at them, really look at them, to know that.

But what really confused her was that they apparently didn't understand how she had been changed or what she was. Anyone from the Academy wouldn't have bothered with all this playacting once they had Arista trapped. So if Satomi, Jin, and Touya weren't human and weren't part of the Academy, then what were they?

Arista wasn't sure she wanted to know. "I'm..." She paused not sure what to say. "I'm not sure I should tell you." She told him honestly.

"Should not or will not?" Touya asked her.

Arista was amazed that he had caught that. Most people assumed that she wouldn't tell them and let the subject drop, but he had actually listened.

Arista looked down at the floor, feeling guilty that she couldn't in good conscious tell about her life before now. She wouldn't let them be dragged down with her. "For your own sake I think it will be better if I don't tell you what happened to me." She finally answered him, voice soft.

Then to Arista's great astonishment, Touya started to laugh.

"And here I had worried you knew too much about us." He said a moment later, a smile playing on his face. "But you don't know us at all do you?"

Arista shook her head, now feeling very, very confused. "Should I?"

Touya returned to his usual calm state of mind. "No, not especially, but after the Dark Tournament it seems that more demons do."

Arista titled her head. "The what?"

Touya looked thoughtfully at her a moment in silence. "You came from the human world yes?"

"No," Arista said watching the strange man right back, "I came from the Academy. What do you mean by demons? And what's a Dark Tournament? Did the Three come up with it? Are they going to make us fight the Harpies?" She asked, tired of trying to keep secrets that weren't even hers. She wanted to know what was going on.

Touya looked at her like she was suddenly speaking another language. "You must be from the human world then. Is the Academy your school? What three?" He asked.

Arista sighed; this wasn't getting them anywhere. "I'll answer your questions if you answer mine." She suggested hopefully. It didn't usually work, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

"Now _tha'_ sounds like a plan." A different voice suddenly said loudly from the other side of the room's only door. The door opened wide and Jin stood grinning in the opening, Satomi sighing exasperatedly behind him.

Touya eyed the two. "Why do you say you won't interfere when you always do?" He asked, looking more at Jin than Satomi, who quietly came in and sat down next to him. She caught Arista's gaze and rolled her eyes as if to say, "Men."

"I wasn' plannin' on sayin' anythin', but it's just so interestin'." Jin said and Arista noticed his pointy ears twitch just a little. She tried not to laugh.

"Jin-"

"Ah come on Touya, I know ya want to know what she's talkin' about."

Touya was silent for a moment as he stared at Jin. Eventually he sighed. "You're going to trade answers with her whether I say no or not aren't you?" He asked sounding as if he already knew the answer but he still wasn't going to like it.

"Well," Jin said closing one eye as he thought. "If ya order me not to, then I really can', but it still promises to be a very interestin' story."

Touya hung his head. "Yes, I do believe you said that already."

Jin smiled hugely. "Well it is, isn' it?" He asked looking at Arista with extremely curious blue eyes.

She giggled; she couldn't help it. "_I_ think so, but it is my life."

Jin laughed loudly.

"It may be beneficial to hear what she has to say." Satomi's voice was soft but they all heard her. There was a strange tenor in Satomi's voice that Arista had no idea what to make of. "The Three may be our trouble soon enough."

A chill went down Arista's back when she saw the faraway look in Satomi's violet eyes. It was like she was looking at something no one else could see. Still, Arista was sure she felt a new weight settle around her; like that feeling when you know something you said or did is going to circle around and bite you.

Then a tremor passed down the small woman's body and her eyelids fluttered. She lifted a tired hand to her head like she had a headache. Arista thought for a moment she was going to fall over, but Touya steadied her.

"I'm fine." Satomi said, sitting up straighter.

Touya watched her worriedly a moment, but then nodded before turning back to Arista. "Very well then Arista, explain."

Arista swallowed, wondering where to start. But instead of beginning anywhere near what she would designate the beginning, she blurted out instead, "I'm a mermaid."

Thankfully they didn't laugh at her.

Jin did lean forward and peer at her though. "Ya don' look like any mermaid I've ever seen. I thought they all had fins."

Arista found herself smiling, even if it was only a very little. "I think I'm different from the rest, although I've never actually seen another one besides my sister."

"Really? Where's she?"

Arista closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at them as she lied. "She's out swimming of course. That is what mermaids do after all." She said with a sweet, practiced smile.

It wasn't much of an answer, Arista knew that, but even if Andrina had asked (although Arista couldn't fathom why since she knew where Ariel was) Arista would have given the same answer.

She felt relieved when they didn't ask any more questions about her baby sister.

"Are these Three mermaids like you?" Touya asked, moving on.

Arista's laugh was startled right out of her. The Three? Lowly mermaids like her? Ha! She shook her head. "No, they're human, at least as far as I know. They certainly look human, although come to think of it I haven't actually seen a normal human before. Even the doctors are all compilations of something or another."

Jin stuck his arms out in front of him. "Whoa, whoa little fish what'cha talkin' 'bout? Ya mean they've just been sewn together?"

Arista shook her head. "No, they're compilations, not Frankenstein. They're part human and part something else, like me.

"Like you?" Satomi's voice sounded steadier then before.

Arista nodded and pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Yes," she said, "the Three started looking for people with gifts and powers a long time ago and eventually they realized that they could make new powers if they found the right people and bred them. All their experiments they've made by mixing powers are called compilations."

The three figures sitting in front of her exchanged a look that Arista couldn't quite puzzle out. She thought at first they were just confused, but that wasn't right. If anything they seemed to comprehend what she was saying even more then she did. _"Strange,"_ she thought.

"So this Academy is where they conduct their experiments?" Touya asked.

"Yes, I've lived there almost my whole life, I think. I don't remember life outside the Academy really apart from a handful of dreams."

Satomi gave her an appraising eye. "How old are you?" She asked sounding like she wasn't going to believe the answer.

Arista smiled, trying not to look sad. "I don't really know. I think I'm somewhere in my twenties." She looked unsure. "Maybe twenty-two going on twenty-three or something like that? The folks at the Academy never did tell me for sure, but I did get one to tell my birthday. I'll be turning…something on December 9th." She told them happily. Most of the kids at the Academy didn't know their birthday. Those who did guarded the knowledge closely, glad that they knew something about their original self.

"So where am I now?" Arista asked when they didn't ask her another question straight away.

Jin answered her. "Oh yer in Demon World you are. But how'd you ge' here little fish?"

Arista ignored her new nickname in hopes that it would go away. "My sister pushed me through a swirly light." She told them.

They stared at her.

"Wha' now?" Jin asked. There wasn't really anything else he could say.

"A swirly light." Arista repeated. "It looked kinda like, well, whoosh!" She waved her arms around over head and back down again, looking like a deranged windmill.

It took her awhile to explain what she had been pushed through.

"It sounds like a kind of portal." Touya mused quietly.

"A what?" Arista asked confused. A portal? Really? That sounded more like science fiction then real life.

Then she laughed at her self. Who was she, the mermaid, to say that science fiction things like portals weren't real?

Touya only shook his head. "Never min-"

Satomi interrupted him. "It's a way to travel easily between the three worlds; Spirit World, Human World, and Demon World." She said ignoring Touya's shocked and fairly irritated look.

Arista didn't even see the look. She looked at Satomi, beginning to feel like she was the one who would answer most of her questions. "Demon World? The one Jin mentioned? Where's that?" She asked curiously.

Jin grinned at her widely. "You're in it, little fish." He said smartly.

Arista rolled her eyes at him. "You said that already. But _where_ is it? Like on a map." Not that she had seen to many maps. The Academy really didn't teach normal things like geography. And if they did, they wouldn't be teaching the patients like Arista and her sisters. The most Arista knew about geography was that the main Academy building where she usually lived was somewhere near a place called Sassari. But beyond that she was clueless.

"It's not on any map you've seen, I'm sure," Satomi told her with a gentle smile, "It exists outsides of Human World in a space of its own."

"Like a different dimension?" Arista asked excitedly. She may not know much about geography or other real world subjects, but she was quite caught up in the science fiction and fantasy aspects of life.

Satomi nodded. "Yes, I suppose that is a good way to describe it. However it is still connected to Human World and Spirit World and some can travel between the Worlds by portals and such."

Arista still didn't grasp the full meaning of being in a different dimension, but she grasped it enough to understand the basic meaning.

"So does that mean that you all are demons? Not compilations or humans?" Arista asked as soon as the thought occurred to her. She usually wasn't able to ask questions so freely. Now that she had the chance she wasn't about to let it slip through her fingers.

Jin laughed. "You're a brave little fish. Most people would have stopped asking questions by now."

Arista shrugged. "I guess most people don't want to know the answer. Besides, it's not like the idea of people who look like humans but aren't is all that new to me. Sometimes I think I'm more fish then person."

Satomi's lips quirked up. "Yes, I suppose you have a point. We are demons. However we are not average demons."

Jin and Touya looked mightily surprised at that. Touya was about to say something when Satomi placed on hand on his arm, stopping him. Then she gave him a look that said to wait and let her speak.

"We are part of the Shinobi." She told Arista very straightforwardly.

But Arista didn't know what she was talking about. "What's that?" She asked.

They all looked at her like she had grown a second head. Arista's face burned red. She seemed to be getting that look quite often today.

"The ninja?" Satomi prompted.

Arista shook her head. She hadn't heard of them either.

Touya and Satomi gave her a few more names that, unlike the other two, Arista would never, _ever_, be able to pronounce.

But she didn't recognize them either.

"Ah come on!" Jin shouted. "Ya mean to tell me ya've never heard of us then? _Ever_?" He asked incredulously.

Arista shook her head. "Nope, sorry. Should I have?"

"Most people have heard a rumor or two." Touya told her. Even though he hadn't wanted Arista to know their identity, he had still expected _some_ kind of reaction when Satomi had said it.

"Oh." Was all Arista could say. She hadn't even heard their names much less any rumors. "So what do you do then?" She asked.

Satomi didn't answer her now. Instead, Touya answered her as mysteriously as she had answered their questions about Ariel. "We're fighters."

Arista, getting the feeling that Satomi really shouldn't have told her anything in the first place, just said, "Oh, okay." And let the subject drop.

Touya stood shortly after that. "Thank you for speaking with us Arista. It was a pleasure to meet you."

Arista smiled at him. "Thank you too." She said.

She waved as he left, followed by Satomi. Jin stayed awhile longer and talked with her though. When he found the book she hadn't been reading, he picked it up and flipped through it.

"Satomi always did have strange taste in books." He said as he made faces at the pages. "Do ya like this stuff then?" He asked Arista.

"I don't know." She told him. "I can't read it. Does it have anything to do with radishes?" She asked.

Jin looked up at her, his eyes wide. Then he burst out laughing. "What! No. Where'd ya get an idea like that?" He asked, still laughing loudly.

"I was just looking at the pictures trying to see if I could tell what it's about." Arista told him, a bit defensively. "So it's not about radishes then? Or dragon-dogs?"

Jin laughed even harder.

"But that's what they look like." Arista told him beginning to feel flustered by Jin's constant laughter.

"You're righ'," He said as he wiped tears out of his eyes. "You're righ', I've jus' never seen the radishes in the pictures before." He told her. "Lookit, this radish is wearin' a hat lookin' thing." He laughed and pointed at one of the pictures.

Arista giggled and flipped to her favorite picture she had seen earlier where it looked like the radishes were throwing the crotchety looking person-thing over a large cliff.

Pretty soon the unreadable story had evolved from dragon-dog thing trying to steal radish-with-faces-things from person-looking-thing into radishes trying to take over the world with their vegetable might.

Outside the door, Touya and Satomi could hear Jin and Arista's roaring laughter.

"I don't want to know." Touya said and Satomi nodded her head.

For a moment they were quiet as they walked down the wooden hall.

"Why did you tell her about us?" Touya asked. His voice sounded overly calm, but Satomi had known him too long to miss the irritation lying underneath. "And please don't just tell me it's important." He asked, losing some of his calm.

Satomi gave him a small smile. "You know me too well I see." She said. Then her smile vanished and she turned thoughtful. "I saw something when Arista mentioned the Three." She said.

Touya nodded. "I noticed. Are they going to be that much of a problem?"

"I am not sure yet. I have the feeling that they will be difficult adversaries and Arista will be able to help us. However things are changing quite quickly now and my visions are blurred. The one I had when Arista mentioned them felt like I was looking through a waterfall at them. They were horrible vague and I couldn't hear anything they said. However there was one face..." She drifted off, thinking back to what she had seen.

Touya waited a moment, knowing that sometimes Satomi needed time to explain her visions. But when her silence dragged on, Touya gently shook her shoulder. "Satomi, who was it?"

Satomi's eyes drew back from their unfocused gaze and focused on him. "It was Edil," she said, "I'm positive. Her hair was a different color, yellow instead of violet, and she's grown a little, but it was her."

"Are you sure?" Touya asked softly. He knew how much Satomi wanted to find her lost sister, but it had been much longer then he cared to count since the younger woman had disappeared.

It was hard to disagree with the look in Satomi's blazing purple eyes though. "Yes." She nodded sharply. "It was definitely her. And I don't know how Arista is tied to her yet, but I will." Then her face softened. "Besides, I believe she will need our help as well. She is a terrible lonely little thing."

Touya sighed. He couldn't argue with Satomi's premonitions, especially when she was determined. He had wanted to avoid getting entangled in the young woman's domestic problems entirely, but if Satomi thought that there was any chance Arista could lead her to her sister then there would be no stopping the Shinobi woman, no matter how many vaguely outlined adversaries she had to take on.

Thinking on the problem, Touya supposed he could still order Arista to leave, but given Satomi's fierce reaction he could tell she would only follow the girl. That would cause more trouble then just letting the little lost mer-girl stay with them. And besides, with what he had seen of the young woman, she wouldn't last long out in the wilds of Makai.

...

A few days after meeting the familiar stranger and getting my new clothes, I was roaming around Higurashi Park (the one that Shuiichi with two 'I's found me in). It was getting dark and I was headed to the tree that I had spent the last two nights in. It was a little ways into the forest that surrounded the park. Its distance from the park and the people that usually occupied it made it a safe place to sleep without being seen by overly helpful people like Shuiichi. I had spied him today and yesterday morning searching through the park. I'm pretty sure he was looking for me, but each time I saw him through the tree line and I hid until he was out of sight.

I liked him. He was a nice kid and his mother was sweet, but that only meant I had to stay as far away from them as I could. I liked them too much to doom them to a short life in a building where monsters paraded about in white coats. And I promise you that's the life they were in for if the Harpies ever found out they had helped me.

I hadn't seen other Shuichi though, the familiar stranger, and for some reason that annoyed me. Whenever I found myself thinking about him (which I will admit, if only to myself, was happening more and more frequently) I felt angry. Why didn't _he_ come looking for me? Why didn't _he _ever roam the park for hours and hours while I hid in the trees waiting to sneak around him?

And why the heck did I care so much?

It was driving me crazy, all these stupid thoughts about a guy I didn't even know. Except I did know him. And if his shocked look at seeing me at his mother's house was anything to go by, he knew me too. Except he pretended he didn't. Or maybe he really didn't. But then why would he tell me that I could stay at his friend's if I ever needed too? Not that I would ever go. I didn't know him much less trust him. But I _did_ know him.

Do you see my problem?

I was trying desperately to get out of the circle when I heard a horrible voice knife through the crowded trees that edged the park.

"I'm telling you she sleeps here. Her dust is all over the place."

I froze in terror, like a deer hearing the click of a hunter's shotgun. I knew that voice.

"Yeah I can see that," another Harpy screeched irritated, "but _she's_ not here is she dimwit? And we have to find _her_ not her dust. So let's follow her trail and find her before the Three think we're dawdling again."

"But-" The first one started up again.

"Will both of you just shut it? You're starting to give me a headache. We'll wait here until Nicothoe gets back. Maybe he's found her already." A female voice snapped at the other two boys.

"I have."

The new voice appeared behind me. My heart stopped as my eyes went wide in terror.

They'd found me.

There was a sharp sudden pain across the back of my neck and a different, more burning pain flared through my lower back up my spine. I dropped to the ground, losing my breath in a huff. A hand grabbed me roughly by my shirt collar and dragged me bodily after him into the slight clearing that surrounded the tree I had slept in the past two nights.

Three Harpies stood gawking around the trunk of my tree, two boys and a girl. Aellopus's open mouth quickly closed into a smirk and I felt the usual urge to break his nose. Although I did notice with pride that his nose wasn't as straight as it had been the last time I had seen it. I must have broken it last time. _Ha._

Beside him stood Podarge, the one who'd been arguing with Aellopus that they should look for me rather then standing around twiddling their thumbs. Celaeno, the only girl out of the four, crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a cool look.

"She was standing there the whole time?" She asked crisply, her muddy green eyes narrowing.

Nicothoe dropped me on the leaf littered ground in front of the others. "Yep." He told them.

I sucked in air, tasting leaves instead. I spit those out quickly. "Maybe the Three are right," I said, sounding hoarse. "You _are_ loosing steps, getting lazy." I managed to lift my heavy head, smirking at Celaeno, who stood over me glaring prettily, if you could ever call a Harpy pretty.

A heavy, thick soled boot landed painfully on my already hurting back. "I wouldn't wear that grin so proudly my little mermaid." Aellopus told me. "We're not the ones who got caught eavesdropping."

"True, I did drop my eaves. If you find them make sure you give 'em back to me." Aellopus added more pressure on me back. I heard a few awful sounding pops.

Celaeno only rolled her eyes and shifted her weight to her other foot. "The Three told you not to break her Aellopus and Mother threatened to lock you in your cage for a month if you did. So lay off. Podarge, tell Podarce we've found one. Nicothoe, grab her and let's get out of here. This place smells too much like nature; it's making me sick."

Aellopus snorted. "Of course your highness." He mumbled sarcastically. I thought I heard more then a hint of jealousy. But then Nicothoe hefted me off the ground and the only thing I heard was my brain as it jumbled about in my skull.

I grunted in pain as he twisted my arms around my back, forcing me to walk or break an arm. I tried to force my brain to think, but the pain in my neck, back, and now arms made it difficult. I knew I had to get away from the bird brains before they dragged me all the way back to the Academy, but I couldn't figure out how to ditch them.

"What's that?" Podarge asked suddenly.

Celaeno held up the small flattish disc she had pulled out of her pocket. "Mother gave it to me, said to just push the red button when we found her. I think she wants us to get her home in a hurry. I don't think she wants to give our little mermaid here too many chances to escape." She said narrowing her eyes at me again.

I just smiled at her innocently.

"Well what'll it do?" Podarge asked.

Celaeno shrugged. "She didn't say. Let's find out and get out of here."

She stopped, the others almost falling over her. Then she held the gray disc out in front of her and pressed the thumb sized, red button with her finger.

A light, intensely bright, speared out of the machine like a laser pointer, except the dot that appeared on the tree in front of it wasn't at all tiny. It was about the size of baseball, and growing even larger. Before I could blink it grew to a basketball then a large bathroom mirror, until finally it was the size of large, oval shaped window.

But the really weird part was that it was a light rip, just like the one Arista and I had jumped through at the Academy.

All five of us stared in awe and surprise at the beautiful light.

"What is it?" Aellopus asked.

"I'm not sur-" Celaeno started.

But then I regained my wits and pulled as much of my sixth sense as I could into my hands. The result was an explosion, like if I had pulled the pin out of a grenade.

Silent Nicothoe screamed and fell back, trying to shield his face from the fire. Podarge, who had been standing closest to us, yelped as his shirt started smoldering. He danced around in panic trying to put out the spreading spark.

Unfortunately my sixth sense missed Aellopus, but that didn't stop me from flipping him with he grabbed my arm. His breath was forced from his lungs and he lay there stunned.

Then with an angry screech Celaeno rushed me. She kind of lost her enthusiasm when I punched her in the stomach and swept her feet out from under her.

Then, stepping on Aellopus for good measure, I ran.

Dodging trees, I bolted through the forest, past the park, and pushed through the semi-crowded street. There weren't enough people to try and blend in with the crowd. Almost everyone had gone home for the night so I ducked into a book store and swooped past a worker who was hauling in boxes of books through the back door. She screeched in surprise, but I kept going.

Then I dropped out of sight behind a dumpster.

Not the brightest idea when I was gasping for air.

I pinched my nose shut, trying to block out the incredible smell, and breathed through my mouth. I waited, sure that Nicothoe and Podarge would be right behind me, with Aellopus and Celaeno somewhere behind them. I had thought I heard at least one of them chasing me through the trees.

But as time passed and the sun disappeared behind the buildings, no one came looking except the employee I had startled before. She didn't even search really, she just turned in an exasperated circle hoping to find that, and I quote, "freakin' crazy girl who played leap frog with my head".

After what felt like an hour, it was thoroughly dark and I began to worry less about being found by Harpies and more that the stink of the dumpster would seep into my nice new clothes. I tried to think about what to do next if only to get my mind off the rancid smell.

I couldn't go back to the park, that much I felt sure about. But there had to be other places I could sleep right?

I thought hard, it would take forever to find another suitable set of trees out in the middle of nowhere when I was neck deep in city. I briefly considered going back to Mrs. Hatanaka's house, but then threw that idea in the trash I was hiding behind. If going there had been asking for trouble before then going now was downright suicidal, possibly homicidal.

_ "I have a friend who lives in a temple on the edge of town. I'm sure she won't mind putting up with you for a night or two if you tell her I sent you."_

Shuichi's offer popped into my mind before I could stop it. I shook my head. That would be as stupid as going to his house. But...

But my sixth sense nagged at me. I thought about it harder. The Harpies followed what they called dust when they needed to find us. From patches of conversation I have heard over the last several years, dust isn't exactly a scent, like what bloodhounds followed, although scent is a part of dust. It mixes in with the dust making it change in slight and subtle ways, telling the Harpies following it certain things, like your mood at the time or sometimes even what you were doing. The Harpies _see_ dust more then smell it and they can identify a certain person by their dust because each person's trail is unique, like their fingerprints. If what I've heard is right, dust is more a trail of a person's essence. I know it sounds, well, freakish, but that's how I understand it.

But like I said, smell _did _play a significant role in dust. Even though it only affected the actual dust in subtle ways, they were important. Like how adding just a touch of blue to yellow makes green. So maybe, hopefully, the reek from this over-sized garbage can, (which I think had now seeped not only into my clothes, but into my skin and hair as well. Yuck! I'd never feel clean again) would tint my dust trail enough to throw off the Harpies until I was able to get somewhere safe. Maybe I could even get to his friend's temple without being followed. Once I was there, as long as the Harpies didn't suddenly show up, I wouldn't have to worry so much. Sure, I'd have to leave eventually, but not as soon as if I trailed my uncontaminated dust to the doorstep.

My sixth sense practically dinged like a game show when someone gets the right answer.

I stood up stiffly as blood rushed back down my legs. Getting my bearings, I turned and walked down the alley the dumpster was in. It was wide enough for a car to drive down, but there wasn't a street behind the row of stores where I was. Once I figured out where I was it wasn't that hard to follow Shuichi's directions to his friend's place. Although it probably took longer then it should have as I watched every which way to make sure the Harpies hadn't found me.

My jaw dropped when I clapped eyes on the massive staircase that led up to the actual temple. With a groan I realized I would have to climb all those horrid steps to get to relative safety.

With another groan I actually started.

By the time I reached the red gate that stood barely half way up the steps, my legs felt like they were on fire. It figured, I could run for hours to get away from nasty Harpies but I couldn't climb all these freaking stairs. Maybe I shouldn't try to do both in the same day.

I collapsed against the side of the gate, unable to go further without at least regaining my breath. I sat there exhausted, stretching out my legs so they wouldn't fall asleep on me again. My eyelids drooped shut.

I would only be a minute, I told myself. I would only rest my eyes for a minute. I still needed to get the rest of the way up these darned stairs and introduce myself to Shuichi's mysterious friend, but I could take a break for one measly minute. I wouldn't fall asleep here on these stiff, uncomfortable stairs.

It wasn't the first time I've lied to myself.


	6. Chapter 6: Fairy Tale & Reluctant Guests

Alright, sooo, not sure about this chapter, but I just realized it's been like a month since I updated, and that just won't do. So I'm putting it up, along with the next one, which I think is better. More action-y. So, ah, here ya go! Enjoy.

And thanks once again to Shiningheart of ThunderClan, of course! And to littledaydreamer07, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, SolitaryNyght, and SugarSweetAttack for adding this story to their favs/alert lists. Thaaaank yoooou! :)

...

Never Stop Running

Chapter Six: Fairy Tales and Reluctant Guests

Where had she stopped? Oh yes-

"In the deepest spot of all, stands the castle of the Sea King. Its walls are built of coral, and the long, gothic windows are of the clearest amber. The roof is formed of shells, that open and close as the water flows over them. Their appearance is very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl, which would be fit for the diadem of a queen."

"The Sea King had been a widower for many years, and his aged mother kept house for him. She was a very wise woman, and exceedingly proud of her high birth; on that account she wore twelve oysters on her tail; while others, also of high rank, were only allowed to wear six."

Arista spoke softly to herself, her eyes closed. As she spoke, she pictured her story in her mind. The ocean, deep and blue, surrounded her. The Sea King's castle, looking almost like a living underwater creature with it's constantly moving skin of different colored seashells with pearls scattered throughout. Then she pictured the widowed Sea King and his mother as they swam around their palace. Both were stern but loving, glittering in their royal finery. The Grandmother especially shone, with her twelve oysters and jewel colored fin.

"She was, however, deserving of very great praise, especially for her care of the little sea-princesses, her grand-daughters. They were six beautiful children; but the youngest was the prettiest of them all; her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea; but, like all the others, she had no feet, and her body ended in a fish's tail."

The six princesses suddenly swam into Arista's image, swirling through the opening and closing shells in a happy chase to catch one another.

She saw the youngest clearest though, with her auburn hair and ruby colored fin and bright green eyes (Arista knew they were green even though the story said blue). The five other sisters were smears of blurry color as they darted this way and that trying to avoid whoever was 'it'.

"All day long they played in the great halls of the castle, or among the living flowers that grew out of the walls. The large amber windows were open, and the fish swam in, just as the swallows fly into our houses when we open the windows, excepting that the fishes swam up the princesses, ate out of their hands, and allowed themselves to be stoked."

Arista watched as the fish swam up the girls and tickled their hands as they ate. Hesitantly the littlest girl, the clearest one, reached out and touched a silvery-yellow fish with long streaming fins. Then as if she was afraid it would snap at her for petting it, she jumped behind one of her sisters. The other girls laughed and one of her older sisters (this one with a violet-blue tail) held her hand as she tried to pet a different fish this one a deep, shimmering green.

"Outside the castle there was a beautiful garden, in which grew bright red and dark blue flowers, and blossoms like flames of fire; the fruit glittered like gold, and the leaves and stems waved to and fro continually. The earth itself was the finest sand, but blue as the flame of burning sulphur. Over everything lay a peculiar blue radiance, as if it were surrounded by the air from above, through which the blue sky shone, instead of the dark depths of the sea. In calm weather the sun could be seen, looking like a purple flower, with the light streaming from the calyx."

The garden was one of Arista's favorite parts. It was so beautiful, flowing gracefully under the calm, purple light of the sun. The flowers looked like living flames as they swayed back and forth in the currants. Everything was overlaid with a peculiar shade of transparent blue, like everything was covered with lapis lazuli dust. The trees reminded her of Christmas trees with their large golden fruit as bright and round as ornaments. Just imagining it made her feel a sudden sense of peace and she smiled to her self.

"Each of the young princesses had a little plot of ground in the garden, where she might dig and plant as she pleased. One arranged her flower-bed into the form of a whale; another thought it better to make hers like the figure of a little mermaid; but that of the youngest was round like the sun, and contained flowers as red as his rays at sunset."

Time flew by in Arista's imagined undersea garden like a movie on fast forward. Each princess planted their flowers in their little patterns and the next instant red and blue flames burst into life. The whale winked at Arista as the flowers that made up his eye swayed in a particularly strong currant. The little mermaid waved as the red flowers that were her hair shivered in the water. The littlest mermaid's sun shone and shimmered from its corner, looking more like the sun above the water then the purple circle she saw high above her. Arista watched as the auburn haired princess patiently and lovingly tended to her flower sun. Patting down blue sand here and lifting a drooping flower there while her sisters went out searching for unknown treasures.

"She was a strange child, quiet and thoughtful; and while her sisters would be delighted with the wonderful things which they obtained from the wrecks of vessels, she cared for nothing but her pretty red flowers, like the sun, excepting a beautiful marble statue. It was the representation of a handsome boy, carved out of pure white stone, which had fallen to the bottom of the sea from a wreck. She planted by the statue a rose-colored weeping willow. It grew splendidly, and very soon hung its fresh branches over the statue, almost down to the blue sands. The shadow had a violet tint, and waved to and fro like the branches; it seemed as if the crown of the tree and the root were at play, and trying to kiss each other."

Time blurred by again. The littlest princess was older now. She went out with her sisters to explore the wrecks of human ships, the first time she had ever done so. Arista watched with a smile as the ruby tailed mermaid found the marble prince. She begged and pleaded with her sisters to help her move it back to her garden. Eventually they agreed, and soon the white stone figure was in its new home. The young princess planted trees and more red flowers around his feet and soon they flourished.

"Nothing gave her so much pleasure as to hear about the world above the sea. She made her old grandmother tell her all she knew of the ships and of the towns, and the people and the animals. To her it seemed most wonderful and beautiful to hear that the flowers of the land should have fragrance, and not those below the sea; that the trees of the forest should be green; and that the fishes among the trees could sing so sweetly, that it was quite a pleasure to hear them."

The little mermaid's curiosity of the world above her flared into existence, sparked by the discovery of her white marble prince. Arista listened and watched unnoticed and unheard as the princess asked her grandmother question after question. She sat mesmerized by the old sea woman's tales of beings with legs that didn't swim anywhere. She was confused at first, but soon accepted these tales as one would accept a marvelous fairy tale.

"Her grandmother called the little birds fishes, or she would not have understood her; for she had never seen birds-"

"Ya mean she's never seen a bird before?"

The sudden appearance of a voice outside her imaginings made Arista jump. Her eyes popped open and she was surprised to see Jin sitting in front of her, watching as attentively as the little ruby mermaid had watched her grandmother as she spun her tales of the surface.

"Where'd you come from?" Arista asked. She hadn't heard him enter. She hadn't heard anything apart from the rush of the underwater currants and the voices of the littlest princess. It was the only time she could hear her voice now.

Jin looked at her with wide blue eyes, reminding Arista of a child who didn't understand the point of a question. "I came through the door." He told her pointing at the sliding wooden door.

"How long have you been sitting there?" She demanded, beginning to feel embarrassed. He hadn't heard her talking to herself had he?

But he only smiled at her as if he had liked her story, not like he thought her mind was about to snap in half. "Ah now don't go gettin' yourself all worked up. I haven't been here that long. And it was a nice story besides. What was it? I've never heard it before."

""The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Anderson."

"Oh, I think I migh' have heard of him."

Arista nodded uncertainly. "Most people I know have."

"Is it a good story?" Jin asked, sounding interested.

Arista managed to smile. "Yes, my sister and I love it."

Then there was silence. Jin watched Arista expectantly. Arista wondered what he wanted.

"Well are ya goin' to keep at it'?" He asked.

"You actually want to hear it?" Arista asked slowly. No one else in the Academy had liked that story. Even Andrina didn't want to hear it anymore. Although that might be because she had heard Arista tell it to Ariel over and over and over again when they were younger.

Jin was thoughtful for a moment then smiled jokingly. "Well, as long as it isn't anything like the radish books Satomi reads."

Arista shook her head with a tiny smile. "No, it's about a curious little mermaid who trades her voice for legs."

"Yeah?" Jin said, sounding honestly intrigued. "Can I hear it from the beginning?" He asked her.

Arista felt a little less embarrassed at his honest question. "Sure." She said, getting into a more comfortable position before she started.

"Alright, so once upon a time, 'Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep..."

...

"Hey. Hey! Get up would you?"

A foot reached out and prodded me sharply in the side as a rough voice yelled over my head.

I panicked. My right foot swung out trying to sweep whoever was standing over me off their feet. But I had forgotten that I had fallen asleep on a long, _long_, flight of stairs and was very surprised when I rolled down several before coming to a stop.

"What are you doing here?" The rough voice demanded, no worse the wear for my fumbled attack.

Holding my aching head, which I had fallen on when I fell, I looked up to see a small, old, woman standing over me with her arms crossed over her chest and an irritated expression on her wrinkled face.

And I, in my super awake state answered, "Sleeping."

Well it was true.

The old woman scowled down at me, not amused. "And why were you sleeping on my doorstep?" She asked sounding none too happy.

I wanted to tell her that she had one big doorstep, but quickly thought better of it. Instead I asked her, "Are you Master Genkai?"

"I am." She told me. "What are you doing here?"

"A guy named Shuichi said that you might let me stay here a night or two if I told you he sent me."

She eyed me down right suspiciously. "Friend of his, are you?"

I laughed. "Not that I know of." I told her honestly. "But I'm not about to object when I need a place to stay."

"Hm," She said more to herself then to me. Then she motioned towards the top of the stairs. "Why don't you come up and we'll talk." She offered and then began to head up the stairs.

I got up stiffly and followed her up.

"What's your name?" The woman asked me.

"You can call me Andrina." I told her.

That was all we said really.

We got to the top of the stairs, I was nearly out of breath and I had to wait a minute before I looked up to see where I was. The woman though was completely fine, despite her age.

When I caught my breath, I saw that I was standing at the edge of a large yard that was bordered on the far sides by large, ancient looking, dark trees. In the yard there was a calm pool of water, a large dirt square, and some grass. On our right was the actual house.

I hesitate to actually call the building a house. It was much larger then any 'house' I've ever seen and older looking too. It looked like it was made entirely of wood, with sliding wooden doors and a large porch. I couldn't tell how many rooms or different buildings there were.

"Come this way." She said not looking back to see if I was following her.

She led me up to the porch in front of the sliding doors and sat with her back to the wall. I sat where she motioned me to and then quietly waited to find out what she wanted.

"You're running from something. What is it?" She asked me bluntly.

I blinked at her in shock. How did she know anything about me? "What?" Was the only thing I could stammer out.

She watched me with her dark brown eyes. "You're going have to answer my questions if you want to stay here." She told me calmly but resolutely.

"It's not any of your business." I said still confused by her question.

"It is if you plan to stay in my home." She told me in a strong tone that told me she wouldn't take any nonsense from me.

I jerked back. Well now what? I couldn't actually tell her the truth. Could I?

"Don't take me for some helpless old lady Andrina. I've taken on worse then whatever it is that's after you. Now come clean."

Despite my shock, I still thought that if I stayed here I could definitely like this lady.

My sixth sense suddenly decided that it had had enough of me avoiding the truth. "Harpies are chasing me." I blurted out without thinking.

The woman raised one gray-pink eyebrow. "Harpies? That can't be right."

Stupid sixth sense, my common sense said harshly, of course she doesn't believe us. I mean me! Of course she wouldn't believe _me_.

"They've been extinct for centuries."

My brain nearly melted.

"What?" I yelled. "You actually believe me?"

"Aren't you telling the truth?" She countered.

I shrunk at that. "Yes." I said in a quieter voice.

She nodded as if that ended that. "Good, now tell me what these Harpies of yours look like. Are they dirty silver birds with human heads and torsos?" She asked.

I shook my head no. "They're dirty but the look more like humans. They have feathers on their forearms and annoying, high pitched, screechy voices. They're usually in a bad mood too."

She seriously considered what I had told her. "Yes, they shouldn't be too hard to get rid of." She looked up at me as if she had just made up her mind. "Alright then you can stay. But I don't run a charity service. If you stay you'll earn your keep."

I smiled at her. "So if I do your chores you'll let me stay a few nights? That's all?" That sounded too easy.

She nodded. "If you do what I tell you, you can stay as long as you like. You should be safe here. I'm old but I can still handle a couple of bothersome hatchlings."

Sweet. I didn't believe she could beat the Harpies, but hey, free food and board as long as I mopped her floors. "Deal." I told her.

Man did I have no idea of what I was getting into.

...

A few hours later I had not only mopped her floors, I had swept them, scrubbed them, polished them, cleaned spider webs out of the corners, and dusted _everything_ in the main house.

This might not sound excruciatingly hard to some of you.

All I can tell you people is that Master Genkai's home has 316 rooms.

_Three hundred and sixteen._

I had only finished three.

And then besides the house she had a garden outside that needed weeding. I was afraid to ask her if I just had to weed her garden or her forest.

As I sat in the room I'd just finished cleaning, the door slid open. I expected Master Genkai but instead a young woman with blue-green hair and big, jewel red eyes stepped through. She was small, only maybe the tiniest bit taller then the old master. She had a sweet face, pale skin, and a soft look about her.

I also got the distinct impression she wasn't human. And after you've lived with mutant creatures most of your life, you tend to get good at guessing these kinds of things.

That and she had blue hair and red eyes.

I watched as she moved across the room and sat down next to me. She set the small tray she was holding on the clean floor in front of her and smiled at me sweetly.

"I brought some food for you. Master Genkai thought you might be hungry. My name is Yukina. I live here as well." She told me.

I stared at her for a moment, not sure what to say. I suppose I should have thought that other people besides Genkai lived here given there were so much space, but all the rooms I had been in had that vacant, empty feel.

For lack of anything better I said, "Nice to meet you. My name's Andrina."

She smiled in an innocent way and I thought I could easily like her. "Are you going to be staying with us long Andrina?" She asked politely. She didn't sound like she was upset that I was imposing or had suddenly appeared to ruin her quiet. She just sounded like she was curious. It was strange having someone show polite interest in my life. I wasn't used to people _actually_ thinking I was worth asking questions. I was just experiment fodder after all. This week was probably the most I had ever run into people that actually seemed to like me, what with Yukina and Mrs. Hatanaka and Shuiichi with two 'I's and all.

I shrugged. "A few days at least I think, but probably not much longer then that."

"Are you heading somewhere in particular?" She asked as she took the food off the tray and placed a bowl in front of me and another in front of herself.

I hadn't quite thought that far ahead. "I need to find my sister, Arista." I told her. "I'm just not sure where she'll be. We kinda got separated."

I had expected her to ask more questions. Where had we got separated? When was the last time I'd seen her? Why had we been running in the first place?

But she didn't ask. She only said she was very sorry that I had lost my sister and that she could understand how I must feel. It turned out she was looking for her brother. Unlike me though, she had never met him and didn't know what he might be like. Plus they were actually related, unlike Arista and I.

It turned out she was a terribly sweet (and also terribly naïve) young girl. We sat there talking for the longest time about all sorts of things. I was surprised at how long. I didn't think it was possible for me to talk to someone beside Arista or Ariel that comfortably for that long.

We were laughing at the recent antics of her friends (they were good at putting each other in headlocks it seemed) when Master Genkai appeared in the doorway.

She looked directly at me. "There you are." She said in her rough voice. "I don't mind the two or you talking but Andrina needs to weed the garden before its dark. The bugs will eat you alive if you're still out there after that."

I sighed. "Alright, I'm going. Just let me put away my dishes." I said. It was the nice thing to do. Plus, I just couldn't help helping Yukina. She was like the little sister I had never had. Arista was my elder sister and Ariel, while just as sweet and cute, was her younger sister, not mine.

Master Genkai didn't argue, only said, "Have it done by tonight." And then she left, sliding the door shut behind her.

Yukina was rising to her feet with her own dishes. "Thank you," she said, "but I can get them."

I waved her hand away. "It's no problem. Besides I used them. And you were nice enough to keep me company."

She smiled and thanked me before showing me to the kitchen. I couldn't help thinking as she and I talked more as we put our dirty dishes in the sink and then went out to the garden (Yukina was sweet enough to help me weed as well) that it would be hard to leave this place even if it wouldn't be hard to leave the work at all.


	7. Chapter 7:Curious Mermaids & Recognition

}) Mwuhahahaha...as my evil laughter indicates this chapter has some...surprises in it. Mwuhahahaha! Uh...again. Hope you li-ike iiiit!

...

Chapter Seven: Curious Mermaids and Recognition

Arista was bored.

Despite the decision to let her stay, nothing much had changed. Touya had only dropped by once to ask her a few more unimportant questions. Satomi brought her meals in the morning and evening. Sometimes she stayed long enough to talk, other times she had to leave. "I have classes to teach." She said when Arista asked what she was doing.

Jin, however, stopped by at least once everyday and would stay and talk with her until his own classes started, which were usually a good while later. Arista lost track of all the things they had talked about. Like her sister way off in human world, Arista suddenly found she had a friend, although she couldn't tell you how she had made the friendship in the first place.

But even with Jin's company, there were still more hours in the day then they could fill with talking. It was getting late now and Arista had nothing left to do but lie on the wooden floor and stare up at the ceiling, which was bland and unimpressive. Jin had already left. Satomi would not arrive for a good hour and a half. And Arista was too bored to even think properly.

She sighed for the umpteenth time that day and rolled her head to the side, vainly hoping that something exciting, or at the very least possibly interesting, would suddenly happen.

But nothing did. Arista sighed again and briefly thought about continuing her story, but was too lethargic even for that favored pastime.

A loud crash and thump suddenly came from the hallway.

Arista turned her head towards the door, more awake now. Was someone coming to see her?

She listened hard in the following silence, wondering what had made the sound.

It came again along with a rush that sounded like air moving very quickly.

Arista sat up and crawled over to the door. She pressed her ear against the crack in the sliding doors and listened. She heard another sound and realized that it was coming from down the hall, possibly from another room. She thought it sounded like a fight.

Arista sat back on her heels and looked up at the door. She wondered if she could go outside to see what was going on. When she decided that she _could, _she wondered if she _should_. It was true that no one had expressly told her not to leave this room; it was also true that no one had told her she could leave either.

The doors loomed tauntingly over her, telling her that it would be so easy to open them up and just take a peek. But then she thought that it would be just as easy to get in trouble for peeking as well.

There was another clatter, combined with a loud yelp and a tremendous thump as someone fell hard to the floor.

Arista's mouth suddenly got a determined set to it and with a stubborn nod that people give when they have just made up there mind to do something but are still afraid of getting caught, she slid the door open as quietly as she could. She would just go to the end of the hall and see what was going on. Then she would come right back, her curiosity sated. Really. She would.

The doors slid open smoothly. Arista left them partially open in case she needed to crawl back in quickly and then proceeded to scoot her way down the hall on her hands and knees. The hallway felt like it stretched on forever as she crawled down its wooden floor. There were only a few more doors, all on the right side of the hallway, but no one appeared out of those rooms and she paid little attention to them.

They poundings and thuds grew louder the closer she got to the opening at the end of the hall. Occasionally there was another whoosh of wind or a cry as someone hit the ground. Arista slowed as she approached the end of the hall and carefully placed her hands and knees on the ground as silently as she could.

Finally she reached the end of the hall and, carefully, quietly, poked her head round the corner to see what was going on.

Her eyes went wide with shock and alarm when she saw Jin fighting a man with sand colored hair. Fear sprang up almost immediately and for a horrible moment Arista felt as if she was back in the Academy, waiting her turn to be shoved into the fight pens used to test the strength the doctors had sewn into their experiments' bodies. Impossibly high walls swam into view and the wide open room Arista was looking into was transformed into the Academy fight pit with its observation windows where the doctors watched, placed above straight white walls meant to keep the experiments trapped inside.

They were fast, sometimes too fast for Arista's eyes to follow. Amidst the shouts and grunts of the fight, the faded roar of old crowds echoed in her ears. Up behind their unbreakable windows, the doctors were quiet, however just below them, but still above the sandy floored ring itself, numerous spectators, other experiments waiting for their turn or even potential buyers not afraid to get a close look at the products, stood and egged on the two combatants.

Wait, wait that wasn't right. Arista shook her head, trying to clear away the overlaying images of the fight pits her mind was projecting. She wasn't there. She was _here_, in a wooden hallway in the middle of somewhere that wasn't on any map, as far away from the Academy as the moon was from the earth. She was as safe as she possibly could be in a place that was named Demon World.

Arista dared to open her eyes again. Now that her mind wasn't panicked playing tricks on her, she saw that the room before her looked nothing like the fight pits with its sanded floors and impossible to scale walls. This was a large, bare room instead, with wooden floors and no furniture. There was a set of sliding doors on the far side of the room and judging from the pale light that came through their paper screens, Arista thought they must lead outside.

Looking back at the room Arista saw several figures leaning against the wall next to the door, watching the two that were fighting in the middle of the large room. Now that she had chased away her panic, Arista saw that Jin wasn't even attacking the other man. He dodged and weaved instead, blocking punches when needed. For some reason Arista couldn't fathom, she saw that he was also smiling like a loon, as if he was thrilled that his opponent was trying to beat him black and blue.

They were moving so fast that Arista was hard put to tell what was going on. However even though she couldn't see his face clearly, she was sure she didn't know the man with the sandy colored hair attacking Jin single mindedly. But whoever he was, Jin finally stopped avoiding him and without hesitation, swept his feet out from under him. The man landed hard on the floor with a thump similar to the ones Arista had heard down the hall.

For a moment the room was still, but then much to Arista's surprise, Jin reached down and helped the young man up, saying something Arista couldn't hear to him, but that she saw ended in a laugh. Then they took a step back from each other and prepared to fight again.

_There_, a little voice told Arista in the back of her mind, _you've seen the commotion now go back to your room before you get in trouble._

Arista thought that her inner, more practical, self had the right idea of things. Quickly but quietly she turned around on still trembling hands and knees.

"You know you look like a spy hiding around the corner like that." A smooth voice said next to her.

Arista nearly jumped out of her skin. But instead of leaping ten feet into the air, she ended up giving a muffled shriek as she tripped over her fins and then fell flat on her stomach.

"Satomi you scared me!" She said when she realized who had spoken. Her heart felt like it was racing faster then a cheetah on steroids.

Satomi refused to be chided. Instead, the dark haired woman motioned for Arista to come out and sit on her other side. Gladly, Arista did so. She couldn't get in trouble if Satomi invited her, right? A few of the people leaning against the wall looked their way, but quickly returned their attention to Jin and the other man.

They started out much like before, with the stranger throwing rapid punches that Arista could hardly see and Jin blocking him easily. The man held his own a little longer then before. Jin tried to sweep him flat again, but the man saw it coming this time and jumped. He kicked out at Jin while he was still in the air, but Jin just moved to the side, grabbed his opponent's leg as it struck just past his head and flung the other man into the ground.

Arista winced, her heart still recovering from her scare, but the stranger got up quick enough that she didn't think he was seriously hurt. He looked frustrated at himself and a little roughed up, but that was all. After another word with Jin, the two of them bowed to each other and then the stranger went to stand next to the others on the wall. As he left the floor, a woman stepped forward and took his place against Jin.

"What's going on?" Arista asked curiously after the new girl and Jin began their match.

Satomi kept her eyes on the two sparring in the middle of the room. "We are teaching." She said. Arista briefly wondered how this was teaching, but then thought that since the only time she had even come close to being in school was that time the doctors had used her as a surgery model for the new interns. Mercifully she had been unconscious for that. For all she knew this _was_ how most people learned.

"So the ones on the wall are your students?" Arista asked. Now that she stopped to notice, she saw that there were five of them on the wall and they were all watching the fight intently. "Are they Shinobi too?"

Satomi smiled just a little, but still kept her eyes on the student with Jin. "Yes, they are students. And they are not Shinobi quite yet. They still have a lot to learn after all. Although I am very impressed with Masa. This is the first time any of them have gone up against a Master before and he did exceedingly well."

"Oh." Arista said then went back to watching as the girl pushed Jin back before charging forward in an attempt to end the match. But Jin flipped back and found his feet again and they continued.

"Do all Shinobi teach?" Arista asked. She was beginning to feel more like her self again, and was no longer afraid that this would turn out like the Academy fight pits, where someone usually died unless the Three prized both fighters enough to want to keep them a little while longer.

Arista thought that now Satomi's mouth took on a more unhappy tilt, although she wasn't sure. "No, not all of us. We're actually in the backwaters of Makai here so our superiors use this place as a school since there's little chance of anyone finding us without our knowing."

"Oh." Arista said again. "That makes sense."

They were quiet again. The last girl had switched off with the next in line, a shorter girl with darker hair and fast reflexes. Jin was currently bringing his greater strength to bear on the slender woman, forcing her back down towards the floor.

"So other people aren't supposed to be here?" Arista asked beginning to put a few pieces together.

"No, generally not." Satomi said.

Arista thought about it a little more. "Is that why Touya was upset about my being here?" She asked.

"Yes, that did play a major part of it." Satomi said.

There was another moment where the only sound was the slender girl hitting the floor.

Satomi turned to face Arista for the first time. "Arista would you come walk with me?" She asked. "We can talk."

Arista nodded a little obliviously. Was this the part where she was in trouble? It was hard to tell when Satomi was mad. And sometimes even when she was happy.

Satomi stood up, Arista following her to her feet. "Jin, Arista and I will be outside. No powers." She shook a finger at him.

"Ahright." Jin moaned as the newest student struggled to get out of his headlock. "I'll play fair."

Satomi nodded approvingly and headed towards the door. Arista took another look at the poor student as he forgot his prior lessons and just tried to shove Jin away. Jin just laughed at him and told him to quit panicking and relax. "Ya know this." He encouraged absentmindedly. Instead he was giving her that big goofy smile Arista has gotten used to seeing.

She laughed at him. She had never known anyone who was so naturally cheerful. Most of the people she knew were very gloom and doom, if not utterly glum, which, given where she had met them, she thought understandable.

Still smiling herself, Arista followed Satomi out the door, sliding it shut behind her.

"Oh wow." She said when she saw where they were. Outside the door was a well kept little garden. There were green-blue bushes with pale orange flowers sitting next to large reddish fronds. Across from them stood slender, white barked, trees covered with pretty, pink blossoms that Arista thought were cherry blossoms, although she didn't know why they were blooming now.

But while this was all very pretty, they hadn't made Arista wow. Behind the garden wall rose tall, imposing, dark mountains covered with different colored foliage and snow on the peaks. The plants covering the mountains weren't like the ones on Earth. They weren't all greens and browns and blues, although those colors were present in plenty. But at the bottom of the mountains was a dark black-purple color, like the sky after the moon went down. Above that was violet then a startling blue green followed by a lovely red-orange like the sun was setting in the middle of the mountain. Finally at the top, where the snow covered the mountains peak, the cold substance glowed a beautiful gold where the sun touched it and at the very tip of the multi colored monolith there was just a point of shining, fierce white.

Arista gasped. She had never thought she would see anything so beautiful in person.

"Arista? What are you looking at?" Satomi asked sounding a little worried. She didn't know that Arista had never before in her life seen anything beautiful that wasn't just a picture in a book.

Arista suddenly realized that while she had been staring at the landscape, Satomi had been staring at her, waiting for her to catch up.

"Oh, sorry, sorry," Arista apologized. With one last, look at the multi colored mountains, Arista turned and jogged to where Satomi was waiting. She took a deep breath of cool air that you can only find high in the mountains and did her best to drag her attention away from the heavy golden feeling that still glowed in her stomach. "I was just looking at the mountains. I've never seen them before." She tried to explain.

Satomi stopped to stare at her with unblinking, violet, eyes. "Never?" She asked sounding slightly astonished.

Arista shook her head. "I've never seen the ocean either, except in pictures." She sounded sad.

Satomi shook her head. "This Academy must be even more remote then our school." She said.

Arista nodded. "Oh, yes. Its underground near a place called Sassari."

"Where's that?"

Arista shrugged her shoulders. "Somewhere." She said. "I don't know where. They were careful never to tell us anything important."

Satomi nodded. It did make sense.

They walked on in silence, Satomi thoughtful and Arista staring round at all the beautiful vegetation that filled the garden.

"Arista," Satomi finally said tentatively. Arista waited for her to continue, however she didn't go on until Arista said, "Yes?"

"At the Academy, did you ever hear of a woman named Edil?" She asked slowly, thinking out every word before she spoke it.

"Edil?" Arista asked. "No, I'm sure I never did. It's such an odd name I'm sure I would have remembered it if I had."

Satomi only nodded. "I see." She said.

"Is she a friend of yours?" Arista asked when once again Satomi didn't speak.

Satomi seemed to draw herself back from where ever her mind was. "She is my sister. She ran away when she was young and I haven't seen her since, although I've looked for her ever since then."

Arista could understand the sentiment well enough. "I'm sorry." She said simply.

Satomi nodded, wordlessly accepting Arista's empathy.

They walked on in silence once more.

Arista was just looking at a lovely, bushy tree with prickly dark green leaves and yellow berries when Satomi suddenly asked another question that Arista found as unexpected as the first.

"What do the Three look like Arista?"

That brought Arista up short. "What do they look like?" She asked confused. "Well, no one knows what they look like."

Satomi stopped as well. "You've never seen them? All you know is that they are called the Three?" She asked slightly skeptical.

Arista shrugged halfheartedly. "Well I know they're women. A man can't be part of the Three." She said, sounding as if the idea itself was absolutely crazy.

"Do they have names these women?" Satomi asked.

Arista looked up in thought. "I suppose they might have, before they became the Three, but now they are only called Daughter, Mother, and Grandmother."

"Such odd titles." Satomi murmured.

Arista nodded. "Yeah, that's about all I know. Although there was this one rumor that they change."

Satomi cocked her head and looked at Arista questioningly.

"What I mean is," Arista thought hard, wondering how to explain what she had heard. "They are not immortal. They get old. But not in the same way that you or I do. They live _almost_ forever." Arista said.

Satomi's lips quirked up. "Almost eh?"

Arista gave a small smile of her own and nodded. "Yeah. So when Grandmother gets too old, Mother takes her place and then Daughter becomes Mother."

"Who becomes Daughter?" She asked.

"Supposedly before the old Grandmother dies, she and the others pick a new Daughter that will take the youngest place."

"Where do they pick the new Daughter?" Satomi asked.

Arista shrugged. "I don't know and no one could tell me that part. That's what makes me think it's just a rumor. The Three wouldn't sully themselves by having a Daughter that was just a lowly patient like me or Andrina. And they certainly wouldn't pick a human. No one knows for sure what the Three are, but everyone's certain that they're something special."

Satomi nodded, filing away what Arista had told her for later use if it was needed.

"Hey, um, Satomi?" Arista asked hesitantly before Satomi could fall too deeply into her thoughts. "Can I ask you something?"

Satomi nodded. "Yes." She told her.

"Well, what exactly are Shinobi? And what do you do? Or can you do? Do you have special abilities like us in the Academy? Can you use them to help me find my sister?"

Satomi began to laugh and Arista stopped asking questions out of embarrassment.

"You're not used to people letting you ask questions are you?" Satomi asked with a smile.

Arista, her face still redder then apples, shook her head but didn't speak.

Satomi gave another small laugh and hooked her arm with Arista's before walking on. "For your first question," she stared, "Shinobi are highly trained stealth fighters. And that is all I think you should know. I don't think you'd like to be pulled down into our world when you're trying to so hard to escape another one at the moment."

Arista looked at Satomi's grave purple eyes and decided that she would know best. Arista would just have to squash down her curiosity if it ever came up again. "I'll have to trust you on that then." She said out loud.

Satomi nodded, glad that point was taken care of. "Secondly, we do have special abilities, but not because we are Shinobi, but because we are demons. We are Shinobi because we have mastered our gifts."

"Okay." Arista said. "Can I ask what you can do?" She dared to ask.

"You may," Satomi answered. "I am able to use a mix of telekinesis and divination powers."

"Divination?" Arista said slowly. "That's knowing the future right?"

Satomi nodded. "Yes, although it's much harder to read certain events then to just let the visions come as they please, though it's still possible."

"Would you be able to find Andrina that way?" Arista asked excitedly.

Satomi nodded thoughtfully. "It's possible yes, and I will be glad to try, though it may not work." She warned.

"Well if it doesn't then I'll just have to find her a different way then." Arista said determinedly, making Satomi smile to herself. Arista was not the kind to give up easily it seemed.

...

It felt like I had cleaned Master Genkai's entire temple twice over. Every floor gleamed, the garden was spotless, and all her spiders had been uprooted and either squashed or thrown out.

What really got me was that it had only been two days since I'd come here. I had cleaned this whole place in only two and a half days. Yukina was kind enough to help me sometimes, but she attended school most of the day and I was on my own.

Like now for instance. Yukina was gone and Master Genkai was outside drinking tea and meditating. I was sitting against a wall with a dust mop leaning against my shoulder. I had just finished the last room and I was celebrating.

And by celebrating I mean I was sitting down for the first time in, in, oh dang it I forget.

I could just imagine what Yukina would say, and hopefully Master Genkai seeing as it was her house, when they saw the temple.

"Wow!" They would say. "This place is clean."

I smiled, practically hearing my imagination out loud.

"Yeah," My imagination answered itself in a rough voice that took me by surprise. "I've never seen this place like this before. It's almost shiny."

Wait a minute, I thought, either my imagination had gotten louder in the last two minutes or someone was in the other room.

"Genkai must've busted her back doing all this. I wonder why she didn't ask for help. This place is huge." The rough voice said.

"You're telling me." I said loud enough for whoever they were to hear me.

"Master Genkai is that you?" The rough voice asked loudly.

The other voice scoffed. "Idiot, that's not Genkai."

The door slid open while they were speaking and two heads poked through with curious expressions.

"Definitely not Genkai." The smaller boy wearing jeans and a white t-shirt with black hair and brown eyes said.

"Nope," I said. "It's me." I smiled ridiculously big and pointed at my face.

The other boy wore jeans as well, but with a blue long sleeved shirt instead, and had orange hair and almost back eyes. "Oh, yeah right you. Now who are you?" He asked looking confused.

"You can call me Andrina. I'm staying with Master Genkai for a few days. I'd get up to say hello, but I can't feel my legs at the moment." I told them.

"You're the one who cleaned this place?" The tall one with orange hair asked as he and his friend came and sat with me.

I nodded. "Yep. And it only took me two days to do it."

They looked around at the spotless room with a new appreciation. "Wow." They said again.

"But don't you have to go to school or work or anything?"

I shook my head. "Nope." I didn't elaborate further and fortunately they didn't ask about it. "So who are you two?" I asked.

"My name's Yusuke Urameshi." The one in jeans said pointing to his chest proudly. "And this doofus is Kuwabara." He pointed at his now offended friend.

"Hey! Take that back Urameshi, at least I go to school unlike someone I know."

"Ah shaddup Kuwabara. It's not like they'd let me in after missing three years of high school."

Kuwabara smirked at Yusuke and was just about to make some kind of snide remark when two ashtrays flew in and smacked both boys in the head.

"Both of you shut up before you frighten away my company." Master Genkai rasped.

Far from being frightened I was about ready to laugh. These two were a riot. I'd never seen anyone with such goofy expressions.

"Now what are you two doing here?" The old woman asked as she came and sat down on my left.

Kuwabara's face instantly lit up like a Christmas tree. "I came to see Yukina. Is she here?" He asked excitedly. Then Yusuke whacked him over the head and I thought they would start yelling again.

But Genkai spoke before they could get started. "No, she's not back from school yet."

"Good." Yusuke said loudly as he glared at Kuwabara. "Because that's not why we're here, Kurama asked us to meet him here or did you forget that already?" He yelled at Kuwabara.

"Well he's not here!" Genkai yelled, stopping Kuwabara from hitting Yusuke and starting a new fight.

I would have laughed at their ridiculous arguments and name calling if something hadn't snagged at my attention.

"Who's Kurama?" I asked feeling confused. I had heard that name before. Hadn't I? I could've sworn I had, but the memory of the name and its owner kept slipping back into my head like a fish going from current to current to escape a fishing hook.

All three stopped and looked at me like a deer that just now notices it's not alone.

"Uh," Kuwabara started.

"He's, uh, he's a friend of ours." Yusuke said too quickly.

Only Master Genkai looked calm. "Kurama is these two idiots nickname for him, but he doesn't like it so don't use it." She told me.

I didn't believe them. My sixth sense was screaming at me not to, but I didn't need it to tell me they were lying through their teeth.

But I thought it best not to let them know that. So I just said, "Oh okay. What should I call him then?" I asked.

"You should call me Shuichi just like I told you last time."

I spun around to face the new voice before I could think that I recognized it. Behind me stood older Shuichi, the one with red hair and green eyes that I knew so well but couldn't tell you why.

"Hey Kur-urk. Er, Shuichi." Yusuke amended when Shuichi shot him a glare that would chill even those miserable Harpies to their bones. He sat down coolly in between Genkai and me.

However he didn't try to scare me with that glare of his and instead he smiled neutrally at me. "It's nice to see you again Maya." He greeted me.

Now it was my turn to glare. "It's Andrina." I told him yet again.

"Oh yes, my apologies I forgot." He said smoothly.

I eyed him suspiciously, but he ignored me and started speaking to Master Genkai.

He had only been here a few minutes before the sliding door slid open yet again.

"Master Genkai, Andrina I'm back." Yukina's voice came from the other room.

Kuwabara shot up like he'd sat on a tack. "YUKINA!" He yelled and I could've sworn that little hearts had suddenly popped into his eyes. I watched in amazement as he literally skipped into the other room.

I looked over at the other three to see if this was a normal occurrence or if I should be afraid. Yusuke was laughing his head off while Shuichi-Kurama smiled to himself and tried not to do the same. Even Genkai was smiling, something I had rarely seen her do.

I was afraid anyway. I'd never seen someone like Kuwabara skip before.

Yukina's giggle and Kuwabara's embarrassed laugh echoed through the walls and, seeing as no one _here_ was going to talk to me I got up and went to see what they were doing. I was just opening the screen door when their was an inquiring tap on the one that Master Genkai and Shuichi had come through that led outside.

"Hello? Is Master Genkai home?" A frighteningly smooth voice asked from beyond the door.

I froze. I knew that voice.

Too late I realized that none of the others did.

"Don't open it!" I yelled even as Yusuke slid the door back.

Aellopus stood there dressed causally in jeans and a black hoodie. He spotted me and ginned in a feral way that I've only seen Harpies do.

"Hello 'Drina." He said, smooth as silk.

For a moment everything was still. I didn't know where to run. No one else knew what to do. And Aellopus was still because he knew he had me.

I bolted anyway.

I slammed open the door to the room where Yukina and Kuwabara were, but Podarge and Celaeno were already there. Yukina screamed when fire flashed into existence in Podarge's hand. For a second I thought the Harpy had gone crazy and thrown it at Kuwabara, but then I realized the golden crackling thing in Kuwabara's hand was shaped like a sword.

He jumped as Podarge threw his flames at me. Kuwabara landed in front of me and swung, catching the fire and flinging most of it back at Podarge. Some of it however snaked down the length of Kuwabara's glowing sword and burned his hands.

Celaeno screeched angrily when she saw Podarge fall under his own attack. Too smart to stay and see what she planned to do to me, I turned around planning to break Aellopus's nose again in order to jump past him and get outside.

But instead I ran into a darkly feathered chest.

Nicothoe grabbed my wrists to keep me from falling. Then he twisted down and around, twirling me so that my back was facing him. Then he pulled my wrist up viciously as he put one hand on my neck, silently threatening to break both if I didn't stop struggling. "Use that power of yours on me and I'll snap your neck." He added the verbal threat with a bird like hiss.

Crud. I didn't look like I was going to get away this time.

In front of me, Aellopus was flinging lightening streaks at Yusuke, who dodged them, all before shooting a blue burst of energy at him. In the back of my mind my sixth sense tingled as I recognized the likeness between Yusuke's attack and my sixth sense.

Another blue colored mass of energy flew on my left and I heard Celaeno scream as it hit home. Master Genkai didn't wait for the female Harpy to recover though and instead ran forward and punched Celaeno so hard that she flew back and hit the wall behind her. She was surprisingly nimble for such an old lady.

But the strangest thing I saw was not Kuwabara's glowing sword nor Yusuke offensive blue energies nor even Genkai's strength and speed.

It was the ten foot green spiked whip in Shuichi's hand. I'd seen it before, just like I had seen Shuichi before, just like I knew that nickname they'd mentioned.

Faster then my eyes could follow the green whip flicked out and slashed Nicothoe across the face. He let me go in favor of holding his face and stumbled back.

But even though I was free now, I couldn't find it in me to move away.

"I know you." I found myself saying. I wish I could blame my sixth sense for words just randomly spewing out of my mouth, but I couldn't. Not now anyway. Because it was true, I did know him. We'd gone to the same school when we were younger. He saved me when I was kidnapped by a demon. Then he used some kind of powder to make me forget everything. Shortly after that my family and I had moved away and I was taken by the Three's goons to the Academy.

"Kurama." I said before falling limp to the ground as long forgotten memories flooded my head.


End file.
